I've been wondering just how many people walk into vehicle traffic while staring fixedly at their phones. It seems ridiculously common.
So I performed a thought experiment. As I was driving, how many pedestrians would walk in front of me, in a crosswalk or not, where I would have struck them if I hadn't been aware of their presence--while staring at and/or talking into their phones, and not giving a sideways glance in my direction?
My parents, from when I was very young, hammered into me the rule that I should look both ways before crossing the street and NEVER assume that a driver who might hit me could see me. In other words, don't cross until it's clear.
It seems like everyone is suffering from PIPDSPI, or Phone-Induced Poorly Developed Self-Preservation Instinct. In three days of maybe a total of two hours' driving, I counted ONE HUNDRED Phone Phools! Almost everyone crossing the street on foot was glued to their phone! I even saw four moms pushing strollers through a busy intersection and yakking away, with their eyes fixed firmly on their screens!
How come we haven't had several million casualties by now??