新奇事件簿 檀香山禁止过马路时玩手机

Honolulu in Hawaii has become the first major American city to ban pedestrians¹ from walking across the road while looking at mobile phones or other digital devices. The new law will start on October the 25th. It says: "No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device." This includes mobile phones, tablets, laptop computers and digital cameras. Anyone breaking this law for the first time will get a fine of $15-$35. People who break the law for a second or third time will get a $99 fine. The new bill is called the Distracted Walking Law. Honolulu's mayor Kirk Caldwell said the law was because of the high number of accidents, injuries and deaths because of pedestrians using mobile devices.

夏威夷的檀香山成为美国第一个禁止行人过马路时看手机或其他数码设备的主要城市。新的法律将从10月25日起生效。规定称：“行人穿越街道或高速公路时都不准查看电子设备。”其中包括手机，平板电脑，便携式电脑和数码相机。首次违反该法律的任何人都将接受15美元至35美元的罚款。第二次或第三次违反将遭到99美元的罚款。新的法案叫做《不专心走路法》。檀香山市长表示，通过该法案是由于行人过马路时使用移动设备造成的事故，受伤和死亡数量越来越多。

Some lawmakers called people who text while walking, "phone zombies". Mr Caldwell said the ban was necessary to make people more aware of the dangers of texting while walking. He said: "We hold 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." He added: "Sometimes I wish there were laws we did not have to pass, that perhaps common sense would [exist], but sometimes we lack common sense." Another lawmaker said: "As technology has advanced, we sometimes forget about the real issue, and that’s about safety." The new law is similar to one that bans texting while driving.

一些立法者称走路时发短信的人为“手机僵尸”。Caldwell表示，该禁令对于人们意识到边发信息边走路的危险性非常必要。他说：“我们很不幸地获得了这项荣誉，在人行道上被撞的行人，尤其是老年人，比美国其他任何城市都多。”他补充说：“有时我希望能够出台相关法律，可以成为常识，但是有时我们就是缺乏常识。”另外一位立法者表示：“随着科技的进步，我们有时会忘记实质性的问题，那就是这是涉及安全的大问题。”新的法律类似禁止驾车时发短信的法律。

1 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》