You could go to jail for texting on the road

folarin okunola

March 29, 2016 8:37 AM

Offenders that are caught will face the same penalties as jaywalking, which may include as much as $50 for a fine, or even 15 days in jail.

If the bill gets passed, people could go to jail for texting on the road

There is no doubt that using your phone while walking can cause a crazy number of problems -cities all over the world have tried everything from dedicated sidewalk lanes to padded streetlamps just to prevent collisions with distracted pedestrians.

In some parts of the world, governments have even tried (unsuccessfully) to pass laws. However, this has not deterred an assemblywoman in New Jersey, US, Pamela Lampitt.

She recently introduced a bill that would place a ban on any hands-on use of electronic communication devices while walking on the state's public pathways.

Offenders that are caught will face the same penalties as jaywalking, which may include as much as $50 for a fine, or even 15 days in jail.

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Lampitt says that people found wanting pose just as much danger as a jaywalker, since they may unwittingly smack into a car while chatting with their friends.

The bill seems to have justifiable precedent too: Lampitt mentioned a US National Safety Council report that listed 11,101 incidents over a period of 10 tears, some of which included injuries.

Regardless, turning this into an actual law may prove difficult. Police officers probably have more important things to do than stop people from tweeting on the roadside, and it may be difficult to enforce the law unless people actually cause incidents.

Finally, it will probably be cheaper to run ads encouraging people to stay focused as opposed to hauling them into court when the commit the offence.

folarin okunola