Yeah, the dodging and extra stomping you gotta do to alert people sometimes so they don’t run straight into you is ridiculous. Obviously, sometimes things just happen, but the AirPods thing has definitely been a constant factor in the uptick of incidents, speaking anecdotally. Also the unheard shouts of “hey can you hold the elevator!” has gone up as well. I would say maybe people pretend to not hear you/see you, but they always seem genuinely surprised/apologetic if you make it in time.

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted, it’s true. You, as a person walking, are much more physically vulnerable than someone in a car. And if music is causing you to not be aware of your surroundings, just take your headphones off at intersections/busy crossings. I expect the same from drivers. It’s just general best practice. Coming from someone who’s also almost been hit in a crosswalk multiple times and does think this is a driving issue. Not victim blaming pedestrians at all, but please, for your safety, you know?

I would say something else about how folks suddenly know when to keep headphones off, but I’m not tryna start a big debate.