ROAD SIGNS FOR PHONE ZOMBIES
Lights in kerb to help pedestrians staring at screen
PEDESTRIAN crossings may have lights put in the kerb and pavement because of phone users who do not look up before stepping out.
It is one of the proposals to be considered when ministers publish Britain’s Road Safety
Action Plan on Friday.
The document will call for research into how many pedestrians are run over because they are glued to their mobiles.
And it will urge a study of technology introduced in other countries to prevent it.
That will include the pavement lights in one Dutch town, designed to catch the eye of pedestrians looking down at their phones.
Similar lights are being tested in the
German city of Augsburg so “smartphone zombies” can navigate tram crossings.
Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said:
“Too many families are being ripped apart by tragic incidents. The action plan will kick off work which I hope will reduce the number of road fatalities and injuries.”
Mr Ellis will also explore technology that would let cars alert pedestrians as they approach by making their phones vibrate.
And he will explore how teachers can do more to encourage young people to take more notice of the real world around them.
Department for Transport research shows the top factor for seven to 16-year-olds becoming road casualties was looking at phones and listening to music as they walk.
Friday’s report will unveil more than 70 proposals to help improve road safety, including changes in the law.
It will say: “We will commission research to understand whether significant distraction from mobile phone use leads to increased risk of road collisions for child pedestrians.”
Road deaths have dropped in the past decade – from 2,946 in 2007 to 1,793 in 2017.
But Mr Ellis said: “We must do more.”