Taiwan Proposes Fining 'Distracted Walking' Due To 'Smart Phone Addiction'

from the this-will-surely-'work' dept

Wed, May 7th 2014 5:22am — Timothy Geigner

Back during the fervor over distracted driving discussions that generally looked to paint smart phones as a mythical human-murdering device that required new legislation in the realm of automobiles, one common refrain centered around the question of whether we'd take the next illogical step and ban walking while talking on phones or texting. Even Mike, our most esteemed leader, made such a quip: "will we now see legislation proposed to ban walking while yakking on your mobile phone as well?" Pssh, of course we will.

Or will soon, I should say, assuming "we" includes Taiwan, where a group of politicians are looking to levy fines against distracted walkers.

Looking to make crossing the street a little safer, Taiwanese legislators have proposed fining pedestrians who cross the street while "distracted" by mobile phones. The proposed law will fine any pedestrian deemed "distracted" about $10 for each infraction! According to Taiwanese media, there are over 14,000,000 mobile internet users in Taiwan, many of whom are supposedly "addicted" to their smartphones. This smartphone addiction has supposedly led to various traffic accidents on the island, so much so that 17 legislators have put forth a new law to fine distracted walkers.

There's that addiction word, which has already gone such a long way towards removing any responsibility people have for their own actions in the past. Time for the government to step in and do a little social engineering through...$10 fines? That doesn't seem like it will serve all that well as a deterrent. Hell, here in the States, we have people facing jail time and license revocation for drunken driving leave the courtroom and immediately get in their cars. What's $10 going to do? And what examples do we have that such a fine is necessary to begin with?

Taiwan's Apple Daily gave an example of a young woman in Kaoshuing, Taiwan. In late March, this young woman was crossing the street and, while she was distracted by her phone, she was hit by an oncoming taxi cab. She later passed away in the hospital.

I don't know, it seems to me that tossing a $10 fine into the woman's grave with her isn't so much passing effective legislation as it is pissing on someone's casket. Add to that the reports that these politicians are supposedly looking to emulate several failed traffic laws here in the States and I wonder whether everyone might just need a good solid midday nap so we can all get back to being sane.

Oddly, the report's own survey found that something like 80% of people responding to the poll are in favor of the fine. The report did not clarify whether respondents did so on smart phones while they were walking alongside a busy highway, but I like to think they were. Any chance we could just go with a little common sense education of the walking ~~dead~~ public, instead? Naaaaah.

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Filed Under: addiction, distracted walking, dumb laws, smart phones, taiwan

33 Comments

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Ninja (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 5:01am

Wouldn't it be much more effective to simply start a campaign to raise awareness that being distracted with your phone while walking will eventually lead you to your death and use examples like the lady cited?

There are two good examples that worked fine here: the cigarette boxes and ads started displaying warnings with quite strong pictures of the effects of tobacco in your health (ie: gangrened parts due to smoking, men that can't maintain erections and more). Totaled cars from bad accidents were put on display on some major roads and streets with objective warning signs.

From time to time revisit the campaign to remind people how bad it is. Sure there will be those that will simply ignore. But those would ignore the fines too.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 5:38am

tbh, 10$ is not punishment. It is just to make people aware of doing stupid things like walking out on a busy road while the light is red.
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Multianonse, 7 May 2014 @ 5:43am

Taiwan Proposes Fining 'Distracted Walking'
it's only $ 10
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scotts13 (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 5:46am

Do the math
14 million phone times N transgressions per year average, times $10 equals a nice little revenue stream. They could even set up "phone traps" at busy intersections, like the speed traps on the highway. A (more effective) awareness campaign would COST money, so...

Me, I'd let Darwin sort it out. Every person who gets run over is an example, and the average intelligence of humanity goes up a tiny fraction.
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Geno0wl (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 6:12am

I wouldn't mind "distracted" use adding to a jaywalking fine(like speeding in a construction zone).
But outright fining people for looking at their phones seems ridiculous. What if I just happen to take out my phone to glance at the time and the officer looks at me only in that instant?
Things like that happen all the time.
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Michael, 7 May 2014 @ 6:16am

Re:
Wouldn't it be more effective to make it legal to hit people in your car if they are walking in the street while on their phone? We can call it the "no more distracted walking - one way or another" campaign.

Can we add to that making it legal to slap the phone out of their hands if they are taking on it at the cash register in a store? Those people really annoy the heck out of me.
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zip, 7 May 2014 @ 6:18am

So while walking and talking may be banned in Taiwan, in Singapore it's illegal to walk and chew gum at the same time.
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Just Another Anonymous Troll, 7 May 2014 @ 6:29am

This is stupid. This is really, really stupid. Distracted driving is/should be against the law because you are in control of a two-ton hunk of metal, you better be watching where you're going! Distracted walking is more of a danger to the walker if anything, they're just more likely to get run over. Are we going to fine people for not looking both ways next?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 6:51am

Re:
"Distracted walking is more of a danger to the walker if anything, "

I've had people walk into me while staring at their phones, then giving me a really irritated look as if having to look up was all my fault. I'm not a little old lady but someone unsteady on their feet could have been pushed over. I say fine 'em.
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Michael, 7 May 2014 @ 6:57am

Re:
It's not the $10.

It gives tham an excuse to take your phone and search it, search you, probably knock you down and handcuff you, detain you for several hours, and when you complain, or bleed on them, or something they can also charge you with disturbing the peace.

Oh, wait, this is not in New York.
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Michael, 7 May 2014 @ 6:58am

Re:
and am I allowed to read a text message on my smartwatch?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 7:05am

They're big fans of caning over there. That'd be a much better solution.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 7:11am

When using your phone make sure to first stop and pull over to the side of the sidewalk.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 7:41am

Re:
Distracted walking is more of a danger to the walker

If they are run over, they are not the only ones to suffer, the driver of the vehicle can suffer mental torment over an accident, even when it is not their fault, and the driver has no physical injuries.
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Donglebert The Needlessly Unready, 7 May 2014 @ 8:01am

Re:
Walking whilst caned is equally as dangerous
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John Fenderson (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 8:15am

Re:
"like walking out on a busy road while the light is red."

I don't know about Taiwan, but almost everywhere in the US that's already illegal. What would be the point of making a new law? To make it double-plus ungood?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 8:20am

I live in Taiwan and I would love nothing more than for this to pass and then some. People here are on their smartphones day and night, anywhere and everywhere. It's completely ridiculous.

Taiwan is a very crowded place, in particular the big cities like Taipei. Walking along the streets or in busy metro and train stations is a pain because these smartphone addicted twats don't pay attention to their surroundings and bump in to you, suddenly stop walking or change direction which results in crowded places becoming more crowded and difficult to navigate. Their attention focus on the phones also results in them walking at a snail's pace.

So yes please. Bring on smartphone bans.
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John Fenderson (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 9:08am

Re:
To paraphrase, you're saying that because you find certain behaviors annoying, they should be illegal. It's hard for me to get on board with that.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 9:24am

Re:
To bad nobody is going to notice the campaign, being busy looking at their phone.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 9:26am

Re: Re:
Why not, everyone else is doing it.

You will be hard pressed not to find a single individual anywhere in the world that does not think something should be a law because they don't like it.

Liberty for me, not for ye! It's one of my cornerstones for trying to convince people that people are default EVIL not Good!
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John Fenderson (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 9:32am

Re: Re: Re:
Well, you found such an individual right here!
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 9:36am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
I find myself from time to time saying... "there outta be a law" and then have to submit to self kick in arse and remind myself why I am such a stupid individual.
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Handsome Hillbilly, 7 May 2014 @ 10:03am

Distracted walking in Salt Lake City
Distracted walking is a chit able offense in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has been for over a year. But the again, this is SLC, where I sat on a bench to remove a stone from my shoe, only to be admonished by a security guard... Not allowed to display a bare foot. Where the police in patrol cars stop and stare at you for sitting at a bus stop, or stop you while walking to ask your name. Me? Just an average 75 year old clean, Alavert, we'll-dressed, fit former Marine NCO, IT consultant and tech writer.

Harmon's grocery store just built a park in downtown SLC. They posted a sign that says "We built this for your enjoyment. No loitering."
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John Fenderson (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 10:35am

Re: Distracted walking in Salt Lake City
"Not allowed to display a bare foot."

Seriously?!

You should move to my area. It's legal to walk around completely naked if you want to.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 11:03am

Re: Re:
When some idiot with a phone has nearly pushed you under a taxi because they were not looking where they were going, you might start to think that outlawing distracted walking is a good idea. This is a case where I do not care if someone wants to take risks with their own life, so long as they do it in private, but I object strongly when they take risks with other people lives.
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nasch (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 2:35pm

Re: Re: Re:
When some idiot with a phone has nearly pushed you under a taxi because they were not looking where they were going, you might start to think that outlawing distracted walking is a good idea.

Possibly, if there is some reason to think it would be effective.
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John85851 (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 4:41pm

That $10 fine
Are we sure it's really $10 or did the amount get mixed up in the currency conversion?
And what's the typical income over there? Is the $10 US actually 2 months' pay? Okay, that's probably an exaggeration, but would it be like $100 to us: affordable to most people with a smartphone, but still annoying.
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Just John (profile), 7 May 2014 @ 8:18pm

Re: That $10 fine
huh? What on earth do you think Taiwan is, a third world country? It would be about $300 NT, a close to 2 McDonald's orders.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2014 @ 11:14pm

Hell, here in the States, we have people facing jail time and license revocation for drunken driving leave the courtroom and immediately get in their cars.

I don't know, I think I'd need to go to the pub first. To wind down from the whole courtroom experience, so I can drive home without shaky nerves!
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Annonimus, 8 May 2014 @ 3:24am

Hitting stop signs
I walk straight into a stop sing from time to time usually when I am taking a walk with friends and/or family in a place I've visited for the first time and talking with them I don't notice a stop sign in front of me and hit it instead.

Funny thing though when I am talking on my phone with family and/or friends I have never hit a single sign because I pay more attention to my surrounding since I am not with a group of people. So by the insane logic of the story in this article my phone makes me more attentive instead of distracting me.

Also before anyone asks to the best of my recollection I have never hit my face on the same stop sign twice. Hitting those fuckers once is more than enough to make me remember where each sign is in a certain street, so unless I am in a place I have never been to I don't hit stop signs with my face anymore. And yes for some reason it has always been the stop signs I walk into.
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yoga accessories (profile), 9 May 2014 @ 3:52am

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Anonymous Coward, 10 May 2014 @ 8:17am

this is so dumb
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Jarrod (profile), 27 May 2014 @ 11:16am

$10 fine
The $10 is actually too small to be consider as a fine. However, it act as a small reminder to them so that they do not repeat the offence in future. By just advising to the offender, the impact might not be so great, so a small punishment will increase the pedestrians awareness on road safety.
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