Looking at your phone while crossing the street could now cost you up to $99 in Honolulu 
 
 Hate it when you see people staring at their phones while crossing the street? You’ll like this, then: it’s about to be banned by a city for the first time. 
 
 Honolulu has been working on a bill for a few months now that aims to get people to stop staring at their phones when crossing streets. The bill got its final stamp of approval from the Mayor at the end of July and, as the New York Times points out, will go into effect starting tomorrow. 
 
 Specifically, the bill (viewable here) states that “No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device.” They note that “viewing” here means “looking in the direction of the screen” — so walking with your phone up to your ear still seems to be okay. 
 
 The exceptions to the whole bill: people calling 911, and the emergency responders who might need to look at a device while running across the street as part of their jobs. 
 
 The fine will cost you up to 35 bucks for the first offense, and it’ll scale up to $75 or $99 for your second and third offenses. Now that one city is rolling out the ban, it seems like the sort of thing that’ll spread to other cities before too long. ||||| Honolulu's 'Distracted Walking' Law Takes Effect, Targeting Phone Users 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Police in Honolulu on Wednesday will begin writing tickets for people who get distracted by their cellphones while walking in a crosswalk. Honolulu is the first major city in the country to pass such a law, citing a high rate of pedestrians being hit in crosswalks. 
 
 "Starting today, texting while walking in a crosswalk can get you a ticket," Hawaii Public Radio's Bill Dorman reports for our Newscast unit. "In fact, a downward glance at a screen of any kind will cost you — a phone, a tablet, a video game." 
 
 Under the new law, the only legal reason for a pedestrian to use a cellphone while crossing a street or highway would be to call 911 to report an emergency. 
 
 Minimum fines for breaking the new law start at $15; for repeat offenders, the penalty ranges from $75 to $99. Higher rates — up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third — had been considered earlier this year. 
 
 Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed Bill 6, also known as the Distracted Walking Law, in July. At the time, he said that Honolulu held "the unfortunate distinction of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the county," as NPR's Miles Parks reported. 
 
 According to HPD, more than 10,000 citations were issued last year for mobile electronic device violations. 
 
 As the law took effect, the city of Honolulu cited a National Safety Council warning that when pedestrians use a cellphone, "this distraction can cause them to trip, cross roads unsafely or walk into motionless objects such as street signs, doors or walls." 
 
 After thousands of distracted walking injuries were reported, the NSC says, it added a new category to track the trend in its annual statistical report, Injury Facts. 
 
 In the 90 days since the bill was signed, Honolulu police have been working to remind people of the risks of using an electronic device while walking across a street — risks that, as of Wednesday, also include a fine. ||||| You see them everywhere: people walking with their eyes glued to their mobile phone screens on busy streets. But walking and texting can be dangerous — and cities in the United States and Europe have begun to do something about it. 
 
 Honolulu has passed a law, which will take effect Wednesday, that allows the police to fine pedestrians up to $35 for viewing their electronic devices while crossing streets in the city and surrounding county. Honolulu is thought to be the first major city to enact such a ban. 
 
 “This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety,” said Brandon Elefante, the City Council member who proposed the bill. Pedestrians, he said, will share the responsibility for their safety with motorists. 
 
 In the United States, pedestrian deaths in 2016 spiked 9 percent from the year before, rising to 5,987, the highest toll on American roads since 1990, according to federal data. One reason may be the sharp rise in smartphone use, “a frequent source of mental and visual distraction” for both drivers and walkers, a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association found. ||||| Make sure you put your phone away when you cross the street. 
 
 A new city ordinance makes it illegal for pedestrians to look at electronic devices while crossing the street. The law goes into effect on Wednesday, Oct. 25. 
 
 Bill 6 (2017), CD2, FD2, was authored by Councilmember Brandon Elefante, and signed into law by Mayor Kirk Caldwell on July 27, 2017. 
 
 Police have spent the past 90 days educating pedestrians of the new law. 
 
 “Your eyes looking down on your phone is so dangerous when you’re crossing the street, and a lot of pedestrians get hit by cars here and nationwide,” said Sgt. James Shyer of the Honolulu Police Department. 
 
 First-time violators can receive a fine from $15-$35. The range goes up to $35-$75 for the second offense, and $75-$99 if you’re caught breaking the law a third time within one year after the first infraction. 
 
 The fine may be relatively small, but you can’t just pay a ticket. You’ll have to appear in court. 
 
 “Right now it’s a court citation that could change in the future. That will be up to the courts whether or not they want to let you pay it,” said Shyer. 
 
 We double checked with Hawaii State Judiciary and sure enough, for a ticket as low as $15 you’ll need to go down to the courthouse. 
 
 It’s not just your phone. Some of the electronic devices that are included under the new law: text messaging devices, laptops, video games, even cameras. 
 
 You can, however, listen to music on a device and talk on your cell phone, provided that you’re not looking down at the device while doing so. 
 
 How will visitors be educated? 
 
 “It’s on a case by case basis I think most officers apply common sense and realize not everybody is aware of our laws,” said Shyer. 
 
 An officer said in an earlier report that bicyclists using the road need to follow traffic rules, like all drivers. 
 
 However, pedestrian laws apply for them when walking their bikes. 
 
 The law does have exceptions. You’re allowed to use your electronic device while contacting 911. 
 
 On-duty emergency responders are also allowed to view their electronic devices if the situation calls for it.
– Visiting Honolulu? Better get out of the habit of texting while walking, or at least while walking across a street. In a new law that took effect Wednesday, the Hawaiian city has banned looking at your phone (or any mobile electronic device) while crossing a street or highway. Anyone who does so in Honolulu or the surrounding county can be fined up to $35 for the first offense, the New York Times reports. Subsequent offenses will cost up to $75, and then up to $99. The exceptions: If you're communicating with 911 at the time, or if you're an emergency responder performing your official duties, TechCrunch reports. (Pedestrians can also still talk on phones or listen to music while crossing streets.) KHON notes the fines aren't just tickets to pay; offenders must appear in court. Honolulu is the first major US city to pass such a law, NPR reports. Similar legislation has been considered, but not passed, in multiple states and is pending in two states. Municipal laws aren't officially tracked, but Rexburg, Idaho, banned the practice in 2011 after five pedestrian deaths were recorded in a short period of time in the small town. There have been no more pedestrian deaths since. Honolulu officials cite safety as the reason for their city's ban; experts say people who text while walking are almost four times as likely to engage in a dangerous behavior like jaywalking or not looking both ways before crossing a street, and they also take 18% more time to cross streets than those who aren't distracted by a device.