Honolulu targets 'smartphone zombies' with crosswalk ban

[rooster59]

Honolulu targets 'smartphone zombies' with crosswalk ban

By Eric M. Johnson

 

FILE PHOTO: A woman uses a mobile device in San Francisco, California July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - A ban on pedestrians looking at mobile phones or texting while crossing the street will take effect in Hawaii's largest city in late October, as Honolulu becomes the first major U.S. city to pass legislation aimed at reducing injuries and deaths from "distracted walking."

 

The ban comes as cities around the world grapple with how to protect phone-obsessed "smartphone zombies" from injuring themselves by stepping into traffic or running into stationary objects.

 

Starting Oct. 25, Honolulu pedestrians can be fined between $15 and $99, depending on the number of times police catch them looking at a phone or tablet device as they cross the street, Mayor Kirk Caldwell told reporters gathered near one of the city's busiest downtown intersections on Thursday.

 

"We hold the unfortunate distinction of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the county," Caldwell said. Honolulu data on distracted-walking incidents was not immediately available.

 

Caldwell signed the legislation on Thursday after it was passed in a 7-2 vote by the city council earlier this month, city records show. ( http://bit.ly/2veHFau )

 

People making calls for emergency services are exempt from the ban. ( http://bit.ly/2v76lRA )

 

More than 11,000 injuries resulted from phone-related distraction while walking in the United States between 2000 and 2011, according to a University of Maryland study published in 2015.

 

The findings pushed the non-profit National Safety Council to add "distracted walking" to its annual compilation of the biggest risks for unintentional injuries and deaths in the United States, highlighting the severity of the issue.

 

"Cell phones are not just pervading our roadways but pervading our sidewalks too," Maureen Vogel, a spokeswoman for the council, said in a phone interview on Friday.

 

Efforts to save pedestrians from their phones extend beyond America's shores. London has experimented with padding lamp posts to soften the blow for distracted walkers, according to the Independent newspaper.

 

In Germany, the city of Augsburg last year embedded traffic signals into the ground near tram tracks to help downward-fixated pedestrians avoid injury, local media reported.

 

Opponents of the Honolulu law argued it infringes on personal freedom and amounts to government overreach.

 

"Scrap this intrusive bill, provide more education to citizens about responsible electronics usage, and allow law enforcement to focus on larger issues," resident Ben Robinson told the city council in written testimony.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-30

[Cats4ever]

How much education does one need to know that when sharing a footpath, and certainly when crossing roads, you need to look about you.

[ross163103]

Natural selection will begin to take these individuals out of the gene pool eventually.

[lvr181]

1 hour ago, ross163103 said:

Natural selection will begin to take these individuals out of the gene pool eventually.

A thought, but I think they are being added quicker than those leaving? 

[1happykamper]

So stupidity is becoming illegal. In Bangkok thousands could be ticketed each hour. Police here are now pondering THAT revenue source big time!

 

 

[rocketman777]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"We hold the unfortunate distinction of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the county,"

I doubt very much that the reason seniors are being hit in crosswalks is due to them texting on their smartphones or checking their Facebook page.

 

Another ridiculous and unnecessary piece of legislation that only serves to increase the coffers of the state and justify the existence of these legislators

[lvr181]

An alert person takes a risk on a pedestrian crossing in Thailand! No need for legislation. 

[bandito]

Smartphone zombies is the right word.

This will be the future populace on planet Earth.

Had a family visit of my daughter with husband and 2,5 year old daughter.

Than there were my Thai wife and 6" grown up son, 5 persons in all.

All together sitting on the couch and each busy with there smartphones even my 2.5 year old grand daughter.

Nobody talking and all busy with games, messaging and surfing the Internet.

So what did I gonna do?

Playing a game on my computer, that's what.

Smartphone zombies indeed.  

 

[boomerangutang]

Western US states, particularly California (but also Hawaii, OR, WA, CO), start trends which spread ww.  It happened with no-smoking areas, and wheelchair accessible ramps, and handicapped parking, and lots of other things.   This smartphone ban on crosswalks will also spread ww.   There are folks in the western USA who are thinking/planning/acting outside the box .....and then other countries (like Thailand) follow - sometimes years behind the curve.  

 

Note; western US states voted against Trump, but it was varicose-veined eastern and middle (mostly small size) states which gave Trump the electoral college votes to win.  In a nutshell:  innovative-thinking states didn't like Trump.  Rust-belt and old-thinking states liked him.  The same states which have the highest suicide rates and the most pharma drug problems.

[zydeco]

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

Western US states, particularly California (but also Hawaii, OR, WA, CO), start trends which spread ww.  It happened with no-smoking areas, and wheelchair accessible ramps, and handicapped parking, and lots of other things.   This smartphone ban on crosswalks will also spread ww.   There are folks in the western USA who are thinking/planning/acting outside the box .....and then other countries (like Thailand) follow - sometimes years behind the curve.  

 

Note; western US states voted against Trump, but it was varicose-veined eastern and middle (mostly small size) states which gave Trump the electoral college votes to win.  In a nutshell:  innovative-thinking states didn't like Trump.  Rust-belt and old-thinking states liked him.  The same states which have the highest suicide rates and the most pharma drug problems.

Why do you bore everybody to death trying to turn nearly every post you make into a Trump comment. This topic has NOTHING to do with Trump.

[Skywalker69]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjVAC_vpzSI

Edited July 31, 2017 by Skywalker69

[MyFriend You]

I live in Honolulu part time each year, the amount of people with their heads down looking at screens is like Thailand - walking into people, poles, etc etc...........to hell with the naysayers that think there's too much Govt oversight, they need this Law, to protect themselves from themselves.