WHEATON, Md. — People’s addiction to cellphones is making it difficult to address distracted driving and distracted walking, a local police officer said.
But he believes awareness and education might help.
“It defies logic. It doesn’t make sense,” Montgomery County police Capt. Tom Didone said of people who cross streets while staring at their devices. “The power of the cellphone has taken over and we’re so addicted to it — we stop thinking rationally.”
Didone believes having “educational, courageous conversations with people” might help them recognize the danger they put themselves in.
“But, it’s going to be an uphill challenge,” he said.
You are four times more likely to be injured if you’re walking with your eyes on your phone, said Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, who talked about the issue at an event Thursday.
“Our job is to walk safely and stay alert,” Leggett said. “Get in the habit of storing your phone in your pocket or bag before crossing the street or driving your car.”
Pedestrian and traffic safety are part of the curriculum in Montgomery County Public Schools. As children progress from kindergarten to high school, they learn age-appropriate components such as pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and then driver/passenger safety.
“It’s an ongoing effort,” said Cara Grant, Montgomery County Public Schools supervisor of health and physical education. “And the more that we can know about this and educate students, community, teachers, then we can work together to make sure all people are striving to be less distracted and be safe on the roadways and the sidewalks.”
Additional Montgomery County police are assigned this month to target distracted drivers, but Didone said the enforcement effort will include officers talking with walkers they see crossing streets while using cellphones.
“It may not be illegal,” Didone said. “But, it is dangerous and deadly.”
