A Colorado teenager was hospitalized after being struck by lightning while mowing the lawn and listening to his Nano. The British Chiropractic Association warns of the dangers of "iPod finger" from all that feverish scrolling and pressing. Our children are going deaf from the earbuds and blind from watching movies on those teeny-tiny screens. Yes, iPods are a menace, but no lawmaker has had the courage to stand up to the mighty hordes who carry MP3 players. Until now.

   New York state Sen. Carl Kruger is fed up with "iPod oblivion," which causes people to step in front of speeding cars, walk into the sides of moving buses and bump into each other in the middle of the crosswalk. Kruger wants to make it illegal for pedestrians to listen to iPods while crossing the street. Violators would be fined $100.

   "If you want to listen to your iPod, sit down and listen to it," says Kruger, sounding like a man who doesn't understand why pocket-size 80GB hard drives have replaced the Victrola.

   Yes, his proposed law is a bit of excess. But there's no denying that MP3 players, along with cell phones, BlackBerries and assorted other handheld electronic devices, can be lethal in the hands of fools.

   To guard against speeding cars, lightning strikes, bomb scares, health hazards and stupid laws, iPod users might try a little self-regulation: Turn the volume down, come in out of the rain and look both ways before crossing the street.