Police in Fort Lee, N.J. want you to watch where you’re walking — and since doodling around on your phone, texting/emailing/Tweet/whatevering can cause people to
totally tune out their surroundings and cause a disruption, $85 jaywalking tickets will be applied to pedestrians caught doing so.

ABC News says the town has had three fatal pedestrian-involved accidents this year, and the chief of police thinks cracking down on “dangerous walkers” will make the town safer.

“It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware,” he said.

Of course, there are those in the town who don’t think the new practice is so great, complaining that the tickets are “a lot of money.” So far 117 tickets have been issued, after a grace period in March where police officers handed out pamphlets.

Texting while walking banned in New Jersey Town [ABC News]

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