A small town in the Tokyo area has taken an unprecedented step in the country and maybe even the world. Indeed, it is now forbidden to stare at your phone while walking. The goal? Avoid accidents related to the inattention of pedestrians moving through public spaces.
After research, it seems that using the smartphone in "texting" mode is not punished in any way in the world, at least until today! Indeed, an article published on June 1, 2020 by a media specializing in Japan explains that a small Japanese town has just taken the plunge. This is Yamato, located in the suburbs of Yokohama (Tokyo area), whose city council received an ordinance from the city prohibiting the use of smartphones while walking.
According to the ordinance, the objective is to avoid accidents involving citizens distracted by their screens when they walk down the street. In addition, the measure also concerns other public places such as stations and parks.
The city of Yamato conducted a survey in front of its station in January 2020. According to the results, 12% of approximately 6,000 passers-by used their smartphone in texting mode. While no fines for offenders have been defined at this time, the regulations will indeed come into force. It is expected that the police will alert citizens in the places mentioned above. On the other hand, the measure also provides for criminal sanctions if the situation does not improve. Thus, there is no doubt that the mayor of Yamato seems determined. He explains that it is a question of raising awareness in society to the fact that smartphones must be used when stationary to avoid accidents.
If this Japanese municipality has decided to crack down, another has adopted a device that is as surprising as it is interesting. In 2016, the city of Augsburg (Germany) set up red lights on the ground for pedestrians distracted by their smartphone. Besides, using smartphones in "texting" mode is not the only dangerous technological practice in the public space:the wearing of headphones is also. In January 2020, an American researcher developed a prototype of an audio alert system boosted with artificial intelligence (AI). This device is intended to alert the user when a danger arises.
