Cellphone restrictions on pedestrians advance

The state House Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow police to issue tickets to pedestrians for using mobile electronic devices, including cellphones, while crossing a street.

Supporters said the measure would help reduce pedestrian fatality incidents in Hawaii. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranked Hawaii as the 15th most dangerous state for pedestrians of all ages from 2010 to 2014. The state also had the highest pedestrian fatality rate among senior citizens during that period.

Officials have not offered statistics on fatalities involving pedestrians using cellphones in Hawaii, but the Governors Highway Safety Association has reported that nationwide, pedestrians killed while using cellphones increased to 3.6 percent of pedestrian fatalities in 2010 from less than 1 percent in 2004.

House Bill 2723, which now goes to the Judiciary Committee, would include pedestrians in the law that prohibits drivers from using a mobile device while operating a vehicle. Individuals who talk, text, or use a mobile electronic device while crossing a street, road or highway would be subject to a fine of $250 per violation.

Committee Chairman Henry Aquino stressed that the intent of the bill is to promote public safety.

“We now live in a time where a lot of people have access to a mobile device,” said Aquino (D, Waipahu). “We just want to make sure that public safety is first.”

Concerns pertaining to the wording of the bill and how it would be enforced were brought up when it was heard Feb. 10.

House Transportation Vice Chairman Matthew LoPresti (D, Ewa Villages- Ocean Pointe-Ewa Beach) said the bill was broadly written. He pointed out that it would apply to people who cross the street while listening to music with devices such as iPods or cellphones.

“If this were law, I’d break the law every day in my morning walk. Not because I’m looking at my phone, but because my phone is in my pocket, with earbuds on listening to a podcast or music,” he said.

Resident Sean Ishii opposed the bill in written testimony, saying resources would be wasted in enforcing the law.

Asked about enforcement, Maj. Darren Izumo of the Honolulu Police Department’s traffic division said that if the bill went into effect, police would cite those that they notice and would watch a location based on complaints and observations.