Watch out, ped-“text”rians — or at least tear your eyes away from your phone to look around for a cop every once in a while.
Walking while texting in New Jersey could soon get you slapped with a $50 ticket or even 15 days in the slammer.
A “distracted walking” law introduced by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt would ban texting while walking and would require pedestrians to use hands-free attachments on their electronic devices.
“Distracted pedestrians, like distracted drivers, present a potential danger to themselves and drivers on the road,” Lampitt said.
Not to mention the risks they pose to fellow walkers, as any New Yorker who has fought through a Times Square sidewalk scrum of screen-staring, selfie-snapping tourists can tell you.
“An individual crossing the road distracted by their smartphone presents just as much danger to motorists as someone jaywalking and should be held, at minimum, to the same penalty,” Lampitt said.
Experts say distracted walking is a growing problem, with the number of pedestrian deaths rising nationally from 11 percent of traffic fatalities in 2005 to 15 percent in 2014.
A National Safety Council report estimated that distracted-walking incidents involving cellphones accounted for 11,101 injuries from 2000 through 2011.
Similar bills have failed in New York in recent years, as well as in Arkansas, Illinois and Nevada. No state has a law specifically targeting distracted pedestrians on the books, according to Douglas Shinkle, transportation program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Jared Schumacher, 20, realized the danger as he responded to a text while walking along a street in Trenton last weekend.
“I’ve seen people walk into poles or trip over a big crack in the sidewalk,” he said.