Connecticut town plan $30 fine for ‘distracted walking’

 A town in Connecticut may soon make texting or even talking on an electronic device while out in public illegal. 

A proposal has been drafted in Stamford, Connecticut, to keep pedestrians safe from ‘distracted walking’ and may set a precedent for the rest of the nation.

‘They’re oblivious to cars,’ Stamford City representative John Zelinsky told CBS News. 

Modeled after a similar model that was approved in Honolulu last month, the Pedestrian Safety Ordinance could carry a $30 fine if caught in the act. 

It would prevent people from being on their mobile devices and roaming the streets at the same time. 

He added: ‘I don’t want any more injuries or deaths as a result of pedestrians getting hit. We’ve had about four or five within the past three or four years.’ 

Modeled after a similar model that was approved in Honolulu last month, the Pedestrian Safety Ordinance could carry a $30 fine if caught in the act

Across the country, pedestrian fatalities have risen 11 percent last year with nearly 6,000 people killed, according to the National Governors’ Highway Safety Association. 

Between 2005 and 2010, the number of emergency room visits for distracted walking injuries doubled to more than 1500, according to one study. 

While the law is smiled upon by folks in the area, it does have a fair share of critics as well, with many wondering if a fine is really needed to regulate common sense. 

And Zelinsky stressed that the move wasn’t about the money. 

‘This is not actually to raise money for the city, but to hopefully educate the public,’ he said.