The end of the ‘walking while texting’ era is nigh.

Although the link between smartphones and the 11% increase in American pedestrian deaths in 2016 is hard to prove, one Hawaiian city has decided the numbers are enough and implemented a fine system for those who walk while on their smartphones.

The law, which went into effect yesterday, essentially “authorises police to stop and fine pedestrians up to $35 for walking with their eyes glued to their phone screen,” reports TIME.

Takes you back to that advert the Western Cape Government’s ‘Safely Home’ released earlier this year:

The man behind the ‘smartphone zombie’ law is Honolulu’s City Council member Brandon Elefante, who said:

“This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety.”

You go, dude.

The report which spurred the decision was put together by the Governors Highway Safety Association, and cited “an increase in walking as a primary mode of transportation, and distraction due to growing use of smartphone technology” for the 11% jump in pedestrian deaths to nearly 6 000:

Though a direct link between increasing deaths and smartphone use is difficult to prove, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises safety-minded pedestrians to “avoid distractions such as electronic devices that take your attention off the road”.

As countries and cities around the world begin to tackle this phenomenon on their own terms, from embedded LED lighting strips at crosswalks to “cellphone lanes”, I would have to suggest that fining people for an action rather than helping them do it better might not be the answer here.

[source:time]