The U.S. city of Honolulu in Hawaii has become the first city in the world to fine people for looking at their phones or other digital devices while crossing roads.
The bill, which comes into force today after being approved by the Hawaiian city’s mayor in July, states that “no pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device”. Mobile phones are included as well as any “text messaging device, paging device, personal digital assistant, laptop computer, video game, or digital photographic device” but audio equipment is excluded.
First offenders will face fines of up to $15-$35 (N5,407.50-N12,617.50) while repeat offenders face fines of up to $99 (N35,689.50).
The Distracted Walking Law states that “no pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device”.
Holding a conversation on a phone while walking is still permitted, as is using a device in an emergency, but crossing the road while texting, reading or Facebooking – as millions around the world do every day – is not.
According to a study published in 2012 by researchers from New York’s Stony Brook University, 60 percent of people texting while walking veered off course in a study. Another study on highway fatalities resulting from distracted walking revel that there were 5,987 pedestrian fatalities in 2016 – the highest number since 1990. This represents an increase of 9% over the 2015 totals.
