Keeping your head up when crossing the street

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Europe

A pedestrian gazing down at their mobile device while crossing a street has long been a common sight in nearly every city around the world.

But Hawaii's Honolulu has decided to try and put an end to this dangerous behavior. Authorities have drafted a new law on traffic safety and it includes regulations governing the way people cross a street.

The new law allows people to still take phone calls while crossing a city street or highway, but prohibits people from looking down at their device, including laptop computers, tablets, video game devices and pagers.

The Honolulu Police Department will begin issuing citations beginning October 25, after a roughly three-month long education and warning period. Those found guilty of a first offense will pay a fine of 15-35 US dollars. A second offense within the same year will have a steeper fine of 35-75 US dollars, and a third offense within 12 months will reach a maximum of 99 US dollars.

Almost every state in the United States has a law stipulating a ban on using a mobile device when driving. Honolulu will be the first city in the country to ban the usage of a mobile device when crossing a street.

A pedestrian using their mobile device while crossing a street in China

According to a Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) report in 2016, the number of pedestrian deaths in the first half of last year was 11 percent higher than in the same period in 2015.