Pedestrians staring at their phones while crossing the road could risk being fined €75 or more under Italy’s proposed new highway regulations. The country has decided to tackle the problem created by the fact that, as our phones have become appendages of our bodies and our attention has shifted from the world around us to our screens, a momentary lack of attention on the road can now have deadly consequences.
While pedestrians have traditionally been considered the most vulnerable road users, with drivers bearing most of the responsibility in the event of an accident, the new rules recognise that this isn’t always fair. A driver cannot be blamed when a distracted pedestrian, unaware of the traffic around them, suddenly steps into the road, leaving the driver no time to react.
