In America, texting can cost you

By Jane Han

NEW YORK ― Heads up, avid texters: You’re free to text on the streets of Seoul, but that everyday habit can cost you in America.

Fort Lee, a town with a big Korean population in New Jersey, is stirring up a buzz after recently instituting a ban on texting while walking.

Town officials began issuing $85 tickets to pedestrians caught texting and jaywalking at the same time.

``It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware,’’ Thomas Ripoli, chief of the Fort Lee Police Department, told local media.

More than 20 people have been hit by cars in the town so far this year, he said, stressing that most were involving ``pedtextrians,’’ people who walk and text simultaneously.

Authorities have a reason for the crackdown, but the ban isn’t welcomed by the general public as some fear that it will turn into a national trend.

``It’s ridiculous,’’ wrote Linda Olden, a New York City resident who commutes about 15 blocks by feet. ``People should take responsibility for their own safety. We shouldn’t have police officers looking and going after pedestrians now.’’

``This just seems like another way cash-strapped states are trying to make some money,’’ wrote one user named Ridgefield on an online tech forum. ``I just hope this clampdown doesn’t spread across the country.’’

In fact, a town in Idaho already placed a ban last year that slaps a $50 fine on people who cross a street while texting.

Former New York State Senator Carl Kruger has tried to bring a similar ban to the state by passing a bill that would prohibit the use of cell phones or any other electronic device while crossing the street, but his attempts have failed.

Other cities and states, including Arkansas and Pennsylvania, are also considering measures against pedestrians with their heads buried in their phones.

While many argue that walking and texting isn’t risky, two professors at Stony Brook University in New York proved that the multitasking is tougher than we think.

They found that more than 60 percent of participants, who were asked to walk in a straight line, veered off line when they were texting.

``We want to raise awareness that a real disruption occurs because of texting,’’ Eric Lamberg, co-author of the study, was quoted as saying. ``Texting disrupts your ability much more than does talking.’’