The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a trio of TV and web public service announcements on Wednesday to warn passengers, pedestrians and cyclists about the perils cell phone usage and city buses. Although the transit agency reports a 14 percent drop in bus collisions with pedestrians and a 6 percent drop with cyclists, officials will air the ads locally to further any prevent accidents.
The dramatized skits include a cyclist taking a selfie and texting before carelessly hitting the rear end of a parked bus, and a young woman distracted while texting a sweetheart before she’s hit by a bus at an intersection. Despite the satirical nature of the ads, MTA officials maintain the effort is in keeping with the city’s Vision Zero goal to reduce traffic related fatalities.
“It only takes a few seconds of distraction for a situation to turn tragic,” NYC Transit President Carmen Bianco said.
