Dutch Town Implements Life Saving Traffic Lights For Mobile Addicts

In the small town of Bodegraven, Holland, residents have implemented novel pavement traffic lights that warn pedestrians before they cross the road.

Simple LED lights are installed at ground level in the usual form of either green or red, alerting pedestrians before they cross. The lights are built by HIG Traffic Systems, a company based in the town, which hopes to sell them more widely to other towns and cities.

A spokesperson for the company told Dutch-language site Omroep West:“Smartphone use by pedestrians and cyclists is a major problem. Trams in The Hague regularly make an emergency stop because someone looks at their smartphone instead of traffic.”

Using mobile phones driving on the road or as a pedestrian are proving more hazardous every year. In Britain new laws were recently implemented for people using their phones whilst driving, with new regulations deducting 6 points [formerly 3] if caught using their mobile on the road, and official figures show 46 pedestrian deaths were caused in 2014 due to ‘lack of attention’ in the UK.

The current test strips are installed at an intersection near several schools, but HIG hopes to roll it out more widely if the scheme is a success.