Distracted Pedestrians

Distracted Pedestrian Walking Accidents

Joseph Monaco, PA & NJ Trial Lawyer

Call or text 609-277-3166 in New Jersey or 215-546-3166, in Pennsylvania

Distracted pedestrians could be in line for some fines! “If a person on the road — whether walking or driving — presents a risk to others on the road, there should be a law in place to dissuade and penalize risky behavior,” NJ General Assembly member Pamela Lampitt told CBS2. Ms. Lampitt introduced a bill in New Jersey on March 14, 2016 to address using a phone as you are walking in public. The law would provide for a fine of up to $50 or 15 days imprisonment for a violation. Maplewood, New Jersey tabled the idea at a committee meeting on January 29, 2018. It may becoeem the first township in New Jersey to fine pedestrians for looking down at their phones while walking. Pedestrian fatalities nationwide are on the rise having increased 10 percent in 2015. The National Safety Council reports that injuries connected to cellphone use has grown six times from 2005 to 2010. In New Jersey, one out of three wrongful deaths from traffic accidents involves a pedestrian.

Is this a good law or overreaching by big brother? From a pure safety stand point it makes sense, but the bill as proposed should probably be amended to restrict the violations to certain areas such as a crosswalks. If you or a family member have been injured or killed by a distracted driver or pedestrian in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, you need to contact me immediately by calling or texting 609-277-3166 in New Jersey or 215-546-3166, in Pennsylvania to protect yourself as well as your family.

Published 03/13/2016