Photo by sally henny penny

The Examiner’s Michael Neibauer came up with an interesting story by talking to MPD officer David Baker. Baker posted a frustrated screed earlier this month on the 2nd District police email list, after yet another person was struck by a car at the intersection of Nebraska and Connecticut Avenues NW. Baker believes that the increase in pedestrian accidents in the area is not only due to drivers not paying attention—the pedestrians themselves are largely to blame, thanks to them being distracted by iPods and cell phones.

Now, surely it’s true that there’s been a huge spike over the last several years in the number of pedestrians who wear headphones while they walk around the city. But I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that 85-year-old Charles Schwartz and 64-year-old Gloria Nahid, the last two people who were killed by vehicles at that intersection, probably weren’t part of the iPod culture that officer Baker is railing against here. Could we all pay more attention while crossing the street? Absolutely. But the intersection of Nebraska and Connecticut Avenues NW is a particularly dangerous one whether you’re wearing headphones or not.