Pedestrians in Honolulu will soon have to start putting their phones
away as the state has signed a ban into law that will make texting while
walking illegal.
The ban, which will begin to take effect in October, says anyone crossing “a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device” will pay a fine that could rise as high as $99.
Fines for first offenders are placed between $15 to $35, $35 to $75 for a second in the span of a year, and $75 to $99 for a third time, according to The Verge.
While residents have kicked against the law, officials believe it is necessary so people don’t become “statistics.”
The city’s mayor Kirk Cardwell said: “Sometimes I wish there were laws that we did not have to pass, that perhaps common sense would prevail. But sometimes we lack common sense.”
The ban, which will begin to take effect in October, says anyone crossing “a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device” will pay a fine that could rise as high as $99.
Fines for first offenders are placed between $15 to $35, $35 to $75 for a second in the span of a year, and $75 to $99 for a third time, according to The Verge.
While residents have kicked against the law, officials believe it is necessary so people don’t become “statistics.”
The city’s mayor Kirk Cardwell said: “Sometimes I wish there were laws that we did not have to pass, that perhaps common sense would prevail. But sometimes we lack common sense.”