The number of incidents and injuries due to people looking at their smartphones while crossing the street has made “distracted walking” part of the National Safety Council’s list of risks for unintentional injuries and deaths in the US. And now, Honolulu has become the first major US city to pass legislation that aims to reduce the danger to both the people using the devices and those that are around them. Those “smartphone zombies” will receive a fine when caught red-handed using their device while they cross the street.

According to Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, they have an “unfortunate distinction” of being a major city that has the most number of pedestrians being hit in crosswalks. He did not release any specific data on that, but it looks like enough to have them pass the legislation that will fine pedestrians anywhere from $15 and $99. This will depend on how many times they have already been caught walking distractedly. The only ones exempted from this are those making emergency calls while crossing, for some reason.

A study published in 2015 by the University of Maryland shows that there have been more than 11,000 injuries from phone-related distraction while walking. This is just from 2000 and 2011, and we can imagine how much higher that number will be if you study the data until 2017. There have already been several preventive campaigns and even some attempts at legislation, not just in the US but in cities like London, Augsburg, Sydney, etc.

But not everyone in Honolulu agrees with this new legislation, even though it got a 7-2 vote with the city council. Some say it is an indication that the government is “overreaching” and that it infringes on their personal freedom. A written testimony from a citizen says that education on responsible usage should be the way, and let the government focus on more important issues.

VIA: Reuters

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