To think people who walk along buried in their phone...

[OnlyTheTitOfTheIceberg]

...should have all their tech confiscated and made to go and live in a remote Himalayan retreat with no wi-fi?

They're a menace! To themselves and to anyone in their path. This morning, not for the first time, I had to grab the back of someone's coat to stop them from walking out in front of an oncoming car because they were too immersed in their phone screen to notice.

Pull into the side FFS, or at least LOOK UP occasionally.

I think some people are just completely unaware of anyone else around them - they are in their own happy little world (smartphone or fantasy), and it doesn’t occur to them that they might be holding people up - and some just don’t care.

Why stop at the phone zombies? Why not rage at the idiots who have to stop dead in the middle of a doorway to faff about with their bag?

And the headphone zombies? I nearly ran one over recently, he stepped out onto the road from behind a van totally oblivious to me even with the horn blaring. Luckily for him I’d seen him walking towards the road before he disappeared behind the van so was already slowing in anticipation.

Phone zombie skittles is one of my favourite pastimes. So glad I’m not on my own😁

@StreetwiseHercules What warning should pedestrians be giving before stopping?

I play phone-zombie chicken too. I find a loud ‘ Watch where you’re going’ helps too

We'll have a nation of hunchbacks soon.

Why stop at the phone zombies? Why not rage at the idiots who have to stop dead in the middle of a doorway to faff about with their bag?

Or at the top/bottom of escalators/travelators........

Oh yes those too. Or those who zig zag along rather than walknn in on a straight line

I was doing this today in London but in my defence I was looking at google maps to find a restaurant I'd booked!

My DC live in fear of phone zombies. Because they know I won't move out of the way, and will brace myself for impact.

Seriously, what do you expect me to do, if you're walking towards me and don't have the courtesy to even check if you're sharing the pavement with someone else? Should I step into the path of oncoming traffic? Melt and become one with a brick wall? Lie down on the pavement so you can walk over me? Nah. It's fucking rude.

If it's that important, then stop, stand to one side, and let others pass whilst you get on with someone so vital in your phone that no one else in the world exists.

I walk along reading my phone, and if anyone doesn’t like it they can just fuck off and mind their own business.

It's quite hard to mind your own business when you're walking in a straight line and somebody is weaving about and veering into you because they're not looking where they're going.

I look nimble when I'm walking in a straight line but I have back problems, for which I am on prescribed medication, and changing direction suddenly bloody hurts. I have to stop because I can't dodge or slalom. So I'm afraid you'd have to be the one to fuck off because I physically can't.

Can I make a special mention for the people who look backwards whilst walking forwards then look pissed off when THEY bump into YOU 😤

I walk along reading my phone, and if anyone doesn’t like it they can just fuck off and mind their own business.

Except you will be walking more slowly and not in a straight line because the ability to multi task is a fallacy, thus making it everyone’s business because you’re so inconsiderate of your fellow commuters.

There's also the ones that closely tail you whilst looking at their phone because it gives them a vague direction to follow out of their peripheral vision. It's like being in a crap Benny Hill chase scene.

I yell "Boo"

@UncleHerbie DC and I used to bellow 'BOGIES!' at incoming phone zombies. And then give them the most innocent look when we startled them.

I miss the days when my DC would indulge me like that.

@WombleishOfTheThighs “ If someone walks into me because I'm not looking, then it's the other person's fault, because they were looking and they should have seen me

I do think we should allow toddlers to keep their phones/screens, or they may play or ask a question.

Scenario 7 was almost exactly the scenario I found myself in earlier today, only, substitute "sink" for "kettle" and add another load of people with no self-awareness blocking cups/bowls/coffee machine in another area of the tiny kitchen.

We have a whole other room dedicated for fucking off to if you want to sit/chat/messaboutonyourphone.

As an aside, I'm glad I caught auto-correct substituting "defecated" for "dedicated" there before posting.

I do this because I am very overwhelmed in public. hmm I live with crippling mental health problems and browsing a phone whilst out mean I don't dissociate. I am very aware of my surroundings despite this
Completely relate, I do the same
My phone like a protective wall

I’m adding in people who walk very slowly down tube escalators, with or without phones.
People who simply stand on the wrong side can reasonably be asked to move over. Walkers who take nearly as long to get down as standers, while the rest of us build up behind them, are just ANNOYING.

I was outside a shop, waiting for my OH. Saw a speed walking phone zombie heading straight towards me. Waited until the last second before stepping out of their way. Polite you think?

No. I was leaning on a sign post, so the zombie walked right into it. Full on head smack with phone drop and shatter. Totally made my day!

YANBU OP. Earlier this month I was checking the weather app whilst walking into town and fell up a kerb into a puddle.

I'm a runner and quite often come across this when running I either shout excuse me very loudly or just shout boo! When near them. If I'm in a crappy mood I'll accidentally elbow them.