Smartphone users who walk and talk while using their devices must stop

Using a smartphone while walking can lead to serious accidents. People should use their phones while standing still. An ordinance that bans using phones while walking has gone into force in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture. It prohibits people from using phones while walking on streets, near railway stations and in parks and other public places, stipulating that a phone must be used while standing still in a location that does not interfere with the passage of other people.

This is said to be the first ordinance in the country that is specifically aimed at people using their phones while walking.

According to a survey by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, more than 80% of households own smartphones, and nearly 70% of individuals own them. The widespread use of smartphones has led to strict penalties for driving a car while using a smartphone, and bicycling is also subject to such regulations now.

How to regulate people who use their phones while walking is a new issue.

Many people engage in such activities as playing games that use a smartphone’s location information and searching for destinations using map apps.

People may be focused on their phone and bump into others, possibly causing injury. People who use smartphones while walking are also in danger themselves, as they might fall over or fall down the stairs and injure themselves.

A man who was looking at his phone walked into a railroad crossing by mistake, and was hit by a train and killed.

There has been no end to cases of drunken people falling onto the tracks while using their phones on station platforms.

The difficultly is establishing how strict to make the regulations.

Some overseas municipalities have enacted ordinances. The Honolulu city government in Hawaii, for example, has banned walking while using phones and fines violators.

The Yamato city government decided not to introduce a punitive clause in the ordinance. The focus of the effort will be to raise awareness and educate people on busy streets and major stations.

According to a survey by the Telecommunications Carriers Association, which is composed of mobile phone companies and others, more than 90% of the respondents said that they think it is dangerous to use a smartphone while walking, and more than 90% also said that they usually take care in this regard. On the other hand, half of the respondents admitted they sometimes used phones while walking.

It seems that even though they are aware of the dangers, that does not readily lead to action.

Once a serious accident has occurred involving other people, it is too late. It is necessary for the public and private sectors to work together and ensure public awareness. Phone users, for their part, have to change their behavior by regarding the issue as one that involves them.