Law sought vs distracted walking in Dagupan

DAGUPAN CITY — Pedestrians looking at their smartphones or tablets while crossing a street, beware.

They would be fined if caught reading or sending messages if an ordinance proposed by a councilor here is adopted.

Councilor Maybelyn Rose Fernandez wants an “antidistracted walking ordinance” now that motorists have been barred from driving while using their mobile phones and other devices.

Fernandez said texting and reading messages while crossing the street could be as dangerous as using a telephone while driving.

When using mobile devices, “pedestrians take their eyes off their surroundings and are therefore less able to react, and would more likely ignore, traffic,” she said.

“While so much attention has been paid to distracted driving, distracted walking has not received the same effective intervention,” she noted.

A version of the proposal obtained by the Inquirer did not spell out any penalties, but Fernandez said it would exempt pedestrians listening to music or conversing through their mobile phones, “provided [they are] not looking down at the device while doing so.”

Her proposal would exempt “emergency responders viewing a cell phone while in the performance and scope of [their] official duties.”