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Agence France-Presse

If you’re in laid-back Honolulu, be advised that starting on Wednesday, crossing the street with your nose in a smartphone can cost you up to $35.
The state capital of Hawaii is the first big US city to crack down on “phone zombies” as a menace to public health.
Signed at the end of July by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, the new ordnance stipulates that “no pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device.”

Pedestrians are still allowed to talk on their phones while crossing the streets, as long as they look at their surroundings.
Fines start at US$15 to US$35 for a first offence, but can climb to as high as US$100 for a third offence within a year.
“This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety,” the bill’s sponsor, city councilman Brandon Elefante, said at the signing ceremony.
US traffic deaths increased in 2016, but not because drivers were texting and driving
For the plugged-in, tuned-out hordes, the habit may be hard to break as smartphone use becomes increasingly pervasive.
There was little sign that a three-month education and warning period has made a dent.
All over the tourist-friendly city on Tuesday, men and women were seen checking their phones mid-street, oblivious to those around them.

Roughly three quarters of Americans, or some 244 million people, use smartphones, according to a Pew Research Centre study.
Texting and using cellphones has long been a target of US laws across the country, but it remains unclear they have had any effect.
Last year, nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed by cars in the United States, the most in two decades.
The toll was up about 11 per cent from 2015, and 22 per cent higher than in 2014, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The GHSA blamed the alarming rise in part on “distraction due to growing use of smartphone technology.”


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United States

Honolulu imposes US$35 fine for ‘phone zombies’ crossing the street

A visitor crosses Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki looking at her cell phone October 24, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu Police Department will start enforcing The City and County of Honolulu's newest law against looking or texting on your cell phone while using a crosswalk. The next three months will be used to educate the public on the new law. In three months the Honolulu Police Department will enforce the law, issuing a citation and possible fines. / AFP PHOTO / Eugene Tanner

A pedestrian crosses Kalakaua Avenue talking on her cell phone October 24, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu Police Department will start enforcing The City and County of Honolulu's newest law against looking or texting on your cell phone while using a crosswalk. The next three months will be used to educate the public on the new law. In three months the Honolulu Police Department will enforce the law, issuing a citation and possible fines. / AFP PHOTO / Eugene Tanner

A pedestrian talks on his mobile phone on October 24, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu Police Department will start enforcing The City and County of Honolulu's newest law against looking or texting on your mobile phone while using a pedestrian crossing. Photo: Agence France-Presse

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