A walking target
New Zealand Listener|April 01-07 2023
I'd happily share a road filled with idiots if it meant there were fewer maniacs nearby.
JONATHAN KRONSTADT
A walking target

As I ambled aimlessly onto a pedestrian crossing in the busy commercial district of Siesta Key, Florida, a massive black pickup truck blew through the stop sign, coming within about a metre of ending me. "Yeah, keep driving like that and you'll end up dead or in jail," I yelled. In retrospect, this seems like pretty quick thinking but extremely stupid vocalising, as I'm guessing 50-75% of Florida drivers have a gun handy at all times. For all I know, it may be illegal to drive a pickup in the Gunshine State without a firearm. Thankfully, the driver was too busy being an arse and accelerating to be bothered by my barbs. So many pedestrians, so little time.

I walk a lot, especially when it's warm, which it was in Siesta Key. Walking is certainly the oldest, arguably the simplest, and some say the best form of exercise there is. In the US, however, it is nowhere near the safest. Whereas pedestrian deaths have been falling almost everywhere in the OECD's orbit (comprising 38 of the world's highest-income countries), the US hit a 40-year high in 2021. Cycling fatalities are on a similarly sad trajectory.

Esta historia es de la edición April 01-07 2023 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición April 01-07 2023 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NEW ZEALAND LISTENERVer todo
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024