Chinese pedestrians face fines for crossing the road while texting
Traffic police in Wenzhou, south of Shanghai, hope that the small fine will encourage pedestrians to take care when crossing
In a bid to improve pedestrian safety, a Chinese city has introduced fines for those who cross the road while looking at their phones.
The fine is small – only around £1.13, or 10 Chinese Yuan – but traffic police in the coastal city of Wenzhou hope that it will act as a deterrent and send a clear message that texting while walking can be dangerous.
The rule came into force on January 1 as part of Wenzhou’s new traffic act, which also forbids littering, spitting, parking shared bikes improperly or failing to clear up dog mess. Since the ban came into force, more than 1,000 people have been fined or given a warning.
A police spokesman told local newspaper Zhejiang Daily: “Those questioning the rule may ask how long a person has to have his or her head lowered to deserve the punishment, but danger can happen any time. It’s dangerous to have your head lowered even for a second.”
‘Smartphone zombies’ as the practice has been christened, is becoming a major problem for many major cities. Wenzhou isn’t the only one to have introduced fines – Honolulu, the largest city in Hawaii, threatens distracted crossers with a $35 (£26.53) fine.
Meanwhile, two Chinese cities have introduced smartphone ‘lanes’ to separate the ‘heads-down people’ (as they’re nicknamed in China) from faster-walking, non-phone using pedestrians.
A survey by the communist youth newspaper China Youth Daily back in 2017 revealed that more than 70 per cent of people had looked at their phones while crossing the street.
