Kilotest: Diagnoses of tab-opening link action unstated violation by HTML element 1081 on Metropolitan Transportation Authority page

Basics

About the Metropolitan Transportation Authority page

• URL: https://www.mta.info/
• Tested 30 days ago by job oyu on 2026-06-20 at 13:49

About HTML element 1081

• Tag name: A
• Text: Twitter Social Network Link
• Start tag: <a href="https://twitter.com/MTA" target="_blank" class="" aria-label="Twitter Social Network Link">
• XPath: /html/body/div[1]/footer[1]/div[1]/section[1]/div[3]/ul[1]/li[3]/a[2]
• Bounding box: x = 1161, y = 4436, width = 44, height = 44

About the tab-opening link action unstated issue

• Why it matters: Following a link opens a new window, surprising a user
• Priority: high
• Related WCAG standard: 3.2.5

Diagnoses

Here is how rule engines diagnose the tab-opening link action unstated issue for HTML element 1081 of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority page.

1. <p>Readers can always choose to open a link a new window. When a link forces open a new window, it can be confusing and annoying, especially for assistive device users who may wonder why their browser's "back" button is suddenly disabled.</p> <p>There are two general exceptions:</p> <ul> <li>When the user is filling out a form, and opening a link in the same window would cause them to lose their work.</li> <li>When the user is clearly warned a link will open a new window.</li> </ul> <p><strong>To fix:</strong> set this link back its default target, or add a screen-reader accessible warning (text or an icon with alt text).</p>

   Tool: Editoria11y (Princeton University)

   Rule: linkNewWindow