A law prohibiting pedestrians from looking at their cellphone while crossing a street has been adopted in Honolulu, United States

From the end of October 2017, a law came into effect in the Hawaiian city of Honolulu in the United States, for the first time, that prohibits pedestrians from viewing their cellphones while crossing the street.

According to the law, no pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device.  The definition of which includes not only cellphones, but also, for example, laptop computers and hand held game consoles

Pedestrians caught crossing a street while looking at a device will be subject to fines; $15 for a first violation, with an increasing fine for repeated violations (from $15 to $99).

The law does not include emergency responders viewing a mobile electronic device while in the performance and scope of their official duties (such as police, firefighters, etc.)

A similar law was also proposed recently in the city of Stanford, Connecticut in order to address the problem of distracted pedestrians. In other places in the United States efforts are being made to raise pedestrian awareness with campaigns, such as the campaign initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department:

“Look Up – Phone Down!”