Traffic lights put on ground to alert smartphone users

Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 9:47 AM - Officials in the German city of Augsburg have installed traffic lights on the ground to protect smartphone-addicted pedestrians from collisions.

According to the India Times, a survey conducted in several European countries suggests nearly 20 per cent of pedestrians missed a traffic light's signal change because they were busy looking at their phones.

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With lights on the road, pedestrians can continue using their phones without having to take their eyes off the ground.

The concept was proposed after a 15-year-old girl was killed by a tram while using her phone, the India Times reports.

VIDEO: SMARTPHONE STRESS:

When smartphones turn deadly

In November 2015, Reuters published a report suggesting the number of deaths from traffic accidents in the U.S. jumped 8.1 per cent in the first six months of 2015, and smartphone distractions may be the cause.

"The increase in smartphones in our hands is so significant, there's no question that has to play some role. But we don't have enough information yet to determine how big a role," Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told the news agency at the time.

"Cell phones are one of the most common distractions for drivers," the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) said on its website, citing data from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that suggests

"Drivers engaged in text messaging on a cellular phone are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash event compared with non-distracted drivers." 

Earlier in 2015, it was revealed that selfies -- the act of taking a self-portrait, usually with a smartphone -- killed more people in 2015 than shark attacks. The culprit wasn't the phones, but the distraction they caused.

In the U.S., New Jersey assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt is lobbying to get distracted 'text-walkers' to face the same penalties as jaywalkers, with fines up to $50 USD per day, and/or 15 days in jail.