Prominent pedestrian safety advocates are slamming proposed “distracted walking” legislation that would prohibit people in Ontario from using a cellphone while crossing the street. In an interview, Baker said his intention wasn’t to downplay the dangers posed by drivers using cellphones. “But what I am saying is that a component of the problem we face is that some people when they cross the road are distracted. The issue gained renewed attention this week when a law banning pedestrians from looking at a device while using a crosswalk went into effect in Honolulu, Hawaii. A 2015 Toronto Public Health report on road safety determined pedestrian inattentiveness of all kinds was a factor in just 13 per cent of serious collisions involving pedestrians between 2008 and 2012.

Source: thestar October 27, 2017 20:20 UTC