The prevalence of pedestrians distracted by mobile phones has prompted the NSW government to launch an Australian-first trial to help mobile phone zombies, or "petextrians", make smarter choices on the road.

In response to this year's high number of road fatalities, which includes 29 pedestrian deaths so far, the NSW government has announced several measures in its Towards Zero campaign to reduce the number of deaths on our roads.

Mind the tracks ... the town of Augsburg in Germany has outfitted two light rail stations with experimental traffic signals for oblivious phone users. Credit:SWA / Thomas Hosemann

One of these is the trial of in-ground traffic lights at key pedestrian crossings in central Sydney. The six-month trial is expected to start in December this year and will mirror the same project launched in Germany earlier this year.