Road signs could be added to the PAVEMENT to stop ‘zombie pedestrians’ on their phones from causing accidents
A new scheme could see lights added to the footpath to let smartphone-obsessed pedestrians know when it's safe to cross the road
ROAD signs should be added to the pavement to prevent smartphone-obsessed pedestrians from causing accidents, according to a Government adviser.
The transport expert claims altering street signage could reduce the impact of distracted walkers.
Shaun Helman advises the Government and various transport authorities in other countries, and suggested pedestrians needed signage or lights added to the footpath to tell them when to stop at junctions.
The system would hopefully reduce the number of instances of pedestrians walking into oncoming traffic while glued to their phone screens.
A new scheme could even see special text walking lanes added to UK footpaths to help guide "zombie pedestrians" safely around the roadside.
Helman, chief transportation scientist at the Transport Research Laboratory,: “If we are thinking about injury prevention and the dominant ‘safe system’ approach used within road safety, there is actually a strong case for redesigning infrastructure over relying on other methods of changing behaviour.
“Thus, if we are to provide information to people dependent on where they are looking (on the floor, if they are looking at their phone for example), it is vital that this information is placed at points where important decisions need to be made (for example about whether to cross).”
A recent trial in Holland saw a transport tech firm add LED lights to the pavement to warn pedestrians of road crossings.
The trial was thought to be successful in preventing people from wandering into the road, with red and green lights used to let them know when it's safe to cross.
A number of European cities have allegedly expressed interest in the system, including the UK.
DYING TO TEXT Hilarious video shows pedestrians falling over while walking and texting… but wait until you see its shocking message
Earlier this year, a city in China installed dedicated texting lanes for pedestrians to stop them crashing into each other on the footpath.
The AA has conducted extensive research on the impact of pedestrians distracted by their phones, and first raised the issue of "iPod Zombies" in 2009.
A previous study found 70 per cent of motorists had witnessed a pedestrian step into the road while staring at their phone, without checking for traffic first.
Edmund King, the AA’s president, said: “People know drinking and driving is a problem. They know texting and driving is a problem.
"We haven’t had such campaigns about zombie pedestrians. Maybe we need to raise the profile of it.”
Pedestrians on their phone were also identified as a major risk not included in the hazard perception test for new drivers.
And in July last year, South Africa's Western Cape Government released a shocking ad campaign showing pedestrians falling over and walking into things while glued to their phone.
The footage also showed a driver involved in an accident while texting, and shared the message: "You can't even text and walk... so why do you text and drive?"