It's no longer a secret that many of us walk around with our eyes glued to our smartphone screens. And, if we look at something really captivating, everything around us seems to disappear, including other people, bicycles, trucks from the opposite direction...
In order to "match" the smartphone addiction of locals and tourists alike, the city of Augsburg in Germany decided to install warning lights in the pavement.
Yes, to keep pedestrians safe while they are looking down, attentive to Facebook notifications and incoming texts, rows of red LEDs are now incorporated into the sidewalk near two tram stations near a University, and in if they are successful, they will expand to the rest of the city.
It may sound strange or even hilarious to us, but there is a sad reason for the decision taken, a 15-year-old girl was killed in Augsburg after stepping in front of a tram while looking at her smartphone and listening to music, and two other people were injured after similar incidents. Unfortunate things that happened to us too, unfortunately.
It seems that the Germans also have a word for people who spend all their time with their eyes on their mobile phones: zombies ("smartphone zombies"). The red lights are activated intermittently, when crossing the tram stations is prohibited for pedestrians.
Making calls, listening to music, using apps and texting all cause a risk of distraction in road traffic. Many pedestrians clearly underestimate the dangers for their own safety if they divert their attention from events on the street in this way.
~ Clemens Klinke – researcher
