Law against using smartphones while crossing the street comes into effect in Honolulu

[midian182]

Back in July, it was reported that legislation had been passed in Honolulu making it illegal for anyone to look at a mobile electronic device while crossing the street. Yesterday, the law came into effect, meaning pedestrians of Hawaii’s biggest city who are engrossed in their phones or tablets could face penalties reaching $99.

Police are allowed to fine those breaking the law up to $35 for a first offense. Doing it a second time sees the punishment rise to $75, while any further offenses will result in a $99 fine.

“This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety,” said City Council member Brandon Elefante in an interview with the New York Times.

The bill defines “viewing” a device as “looking in the direction of the screen,” so holding a phone to your ear while engaged in a call appears to be allowed. Exceptions are made for members of the emergency services performing their jobs, as well as members of the public who are trying to dial 911.

The Honolulu law classes a “mobile electronic device” as “any handheld or other portable electronic equipment capable of providing wireless and/or data communication between two or more persons or of providing amusement, including but not limited to a cellular phone, text messaging device, paging device, personal digital assistant, laptop computer, video game, or digital photographic device, but does not include any audio equipment.”

Road traffic accidents caused by pedestrians distracted by their digital devices have become a problem in many cities. Embedded sidewalk traffic lights are one solution. The technology, which lets smartphone users know when to stop and cross without looking up from their screens, is being trialed in Germany, Australia, and Holland, while a more advanced version of the system recently appeared in the UK.

Pedestrian deaths in the US were up 10 percent to almost 6000 fatalities last year, the highest since 1990. And while not all of them were linked to distraction by mobile devices, it’s thought to have played a part in many of the incidents. At least ten states have debated laws similar to the one in Honolulu, but none have passed.

If the the number of deaths start to drop in Honolulu as a result of the law's introduction, don't be surprised to see it arrive in other locations.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/71571-law-against-using-smartphones-while-crossing-street-comes.html

 

[TomSEA]

Living in Seattle, I think this is a law they should enact here. Although I'm not really happy about legislating common sense either.

But people - especially millennials - are addicted to their phones and create dangerous situations in crosswalks on heavy traffic streets, so a sign of the times, I suppose.

 

[Kibaruk]

@Techspot: I tried entering a comment and I kept getting errors after this article was posted, hopefully I'll be able to now.

I wish they changed it to a bonus, cross the streets for a whole day and get $10, and let natural selection run it's course.

I absolutely hate the arsepits that walk looking into their phone. What is it so important that they can't wait 5-10 minutes to reach their destination or a stop that they NEED to make the phone an extension of themselves while being completely irresponsible to both other pedestrians and vehicles alike.

 

[Reehahs]

A better thing than a fine would be to crush the device immediately in front of them.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Stupid tax... that's all this is.

 

[EClyde]

But Officer, I wasn't using it. It was USING me!

 

[EClyde]

Living in Seattle, I think this is a law they should enact here. Although I'm not really happy about legislating common sense either.

If you live in Seattle you are legislated to death and approve

 

[TomSEA]

Living in Seattle, I think this is a law they should enact here. Although I'm not really happy about legislating common sense either.

If you live in Seattle you are legislated to death and approve

Hey - I most definitely don't approve and routinely vote down every new b.s. law they come up with. But this one I could live with (pun intended) considering there are a zillion Amazon and Microsoft workers here who are in a perpetual state of being glued to their phones whether they're on the sidewalk, on a street or driving a vehicle.

 

[wiyosaya]

Living in Seattle, I think this is a law they should enact here. Although I'm not really happy about legislating common sense either.

But people - especially millennials - are addicted to their phones and create dangerous situations in crosswalks on heavy traffic streets, so a sign of the times, I suppose.

I was driving down the street one day when a person much younger than I was looking at his phone, at a cross walk with a traffic light, and starting to cross the street even though the traffic light was green for the street he was about to cross. I beeped my horn at him and what do you think he did - threw me the finger though I might have saved his life.

You are absolutely right that common sense cannot be legislated, but perhaps with enough fines levied against those who lack common sense like this is one way to help them think twice and de-glue themselves from the screen when they are crossing a street. After all, don't most parents teach their kids to look both ways when crossing the street? Then again, if they have not learned this by the time they have a cell phone in their hands, there may be no hope for them.

As I see it, signs in the sidewalk or the street are far more expensive of a solution and are no guarantee that those using a cellphone at such a crossing will even see those signs, either. Perhaps what ought to be tried is some form of intermittent cell-phone blocker that briefly interrupts the signal without making it drop totally. That way, at least those perpetually glued to the screen will almost certainly wonder WTF?

 

[Johnnyblaze1957]

They need to make a $1000 and crush the phone right there in front of them. I live in Australia and this is a big problem here and that is for people walking and driving and as far as I am concerned drivers on phones should be jailed if they are found to have caused an accident. I am not one who sees a need for unnecessary laws but for some reason when a lot of people get a phone in their hands they lose all of their common sense and it doesn't matter where you are people are glued to their phone so yes hit them hard and not just a slap on the wrist.