Confirmed Measure | By Court Order, Anyone Caught Crossing the Street While Holding a Cell Phone Will Face Penalties

In the city of Honolulu, located in the state of Hawaii, there is a little-known regulation in the rest of the country whose goal is to reduce the number of people who cross the street with a cell phone in hand.

The so-called "Distracted Walking Law" is enacted under section 15-25-23 of the Revised Ordinances Code of Honolulu, and it is in force within this jurisdiction.

In this city, walking while looking at your cell phone while crossing the street has been illegal since 2017, the year a municipal ordinance known as the "Distracted Walking Law", was approved, incorporated into the local code under section 15-24.23 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu.

This law explicitly prohibits the use of electronic devices when crossing the street or highways: no pedestrian may cross a roadway while looking at an electronic device, including cell phones, tablets, laptops, or digital cameras. The only permitted exception is using the phone to make an emergency call to 911.

Fines are scaled according to the offender's repeat offenses:

This law authorizes police officers to issue penalties to any pedestrian who does not comply, even if they were only checking the time.

The legislation addresses a specific road safety problem, since local authorities pointed out that Honolulu had one of the highest rates of pedestrians being hit at crosswalks, especially among older people. The growth in smartphone use also had a direct impact: a sustained increase in accidents linked to "distracted walking" was recorded.

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