Crossing the street while listening to an MP3 player may soon be illegal in New York. A law has been proposed in response to several deaths apparently caused by pedestrians stepping into traffic listening to iPods. The ban would also extend to other electronic devices including cell phones, video games and handheld email devices, and offenders would face a $ 100 fine.
      Pedestrians are getting so involved with what they are listening on their iPods that they don’t pay enough attention to the traffic, often with tragic consequences. According to some official information, many people are being killed as a result of stepping off the sidewalk in front of fast-moving vehicles. And most of the accidents can’t be avoided because the victims couldn’t even hear the warning because of the use of MP3.

                        Mark Hancock & Annie McDonald. English result upper-intermediate. Oxford University Press. p. 103 (adapted).