Look around

Mark Zurolo ’01MFA

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Alumni—and longtime New Haven drivers—can testify that there’s nothing new about distracted Yalies walking into Elm City traffic. But the advent of the smartphone has brought obliviousness to a new level. “We know about 18 percent of people in general are looking at a device when crossing an intersection,” Yale pediatrician Kirsten Bechtel told the New Haven Register; she’s a member of the university’s traffic safety committee. On April 6, members of the committee buttonholed pedestrians at College and Grove Streets and other spots on campus, asking them to sign a pledge not to text and walk at the same time. About 200 people signed on. Sounds like the job is far from done.