| People used to *always* look
| before crossing. Now it's common to see people cross
| without breaking step,
|
| Does anybody remember being taught "The curb step" as a child?

I remember "look both ways before crossing".
It sounds like you're talking about something
similar.
In my city the police got a $10K federal
grant to run a scam trap to catch drivers
who don't stop. A plainclothes woman cop
steps into the crosswalk as a car approaches.
If they don't stop they get a $200 fine. The
city made far more than the grant money in
a single weekend. I was thinking.... what
happened to "look both ways"?