Zombie Jaywalking

According to an online survey carried out by an insurance company, pedestrians using their mobile phones are in danger of falling into a zombie like trance while crossing the road. The survey by AA Motor Insurance states that two thirds of people in Ireland are in favour of on-the-spot fines to deter “reckless” jaywalkers from crossing busy roads. Conor Faughnan, director of consumer affairs for AA Ireland, says that “theoretically” the State already has a ‘jay-walking’ law in place and that pedestrians within 50 metres of a pedestrian crossing must use it to cross the road. “In reality anyone who has ever been a pedestrian in an Irish town will tell you that the rules are completely ignored,” said Mr Faughnan. “Tourists often think we are insane and they may be right as our behaviour crossing road is dangerous.”
A total of 42 per cent of people in the online survey said they agreed completely that fines should be applicable to any road users who fail to observe the law and who generally behave without due care and consideration. A quarter said they agreed “somewhat”, while 10 per cent were “neutral”. A further 11 per cent disagreed “somewhat” and 12 per cent disagreed “completely”. The survey was based on 5,845 responses gathered in an online poll on March 7th.