Town fines 117 people a month for texting while walking...but how long till this catches on across the whole U.S?



Police in Fort Lee, New Jersey are issuing $85 tickets to anyone caught texting while walking in a clamp-down on dangerous walkers.



In actions which could set a precedent for other police forces around the country, the Fort Lee Police Department (FLPD) have issued 117 tickets for reckless walking in just over one month.



And while it is a common known fact that you should not be texting while driving, the FLPD believe that staring down at your phone crossing from the sidewalk should be punished too.

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Police in Fort Lee, New Jersey have issued 117, $85 tickets to pedestrians for walking-while-texting in just over one month

Reasoning that as reliance on smartphones means more people are not paying attention when they walk, the FLPD point to at least 20 pedestrians hit by cars in the borough in the past year who were culpable of text-walking.

'It's a big distraction,' said Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli.



'Pedestrians aren't watching where they're walking, they're not aware.'



Stepping up patrols around the town, the police have been on the lookout for pedestrians who they say are dangerous walkers according to myfoxphilly.com .

With 20 accidents already this year involving pedestrians on the roads, Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli has run out of patience

Despite issuing fliers to warn of the dangers of texting-while-walking, Fort Lee police have now begun issuing tickets

While Fort Lee police have clarified their position to only giving tickets to pedestrians who ignore traffic signs or jaywalk because of their phones, walking along the sidewalk is still acceptable.



Police said that before they put their foot down and started dishing out the tickets for text-walking, they handed out fliers warning of the dangers.



'These measures are to remind the pedestrians to be aware not to be on their cell phones and texting.'

While it is accepted that texting while driving is dangerous, the growth in the use of smartphones has meant more pedestrians not paying attention to their surroundings

The actions of the Fort Lee Pilice Department in Bergen County have become a talking point around the town

Fort Lee Police Department hope that these new procedures will ultimately lead to a fall in accidents involving pedestrians.



Although the first police department to issue tickets for text-walking, Fort Lee is following on the heels of other initiatives.



In May last year the City of Philadelphia began issuing warnings to pedestrians who were not paying attention while walking because of their cell-phone.

NJ Town Tickets For Texting While Walking: MyFoxPHILLY.com