What might be making New York crosswalks more dangerous?

If you’ve ever been a pedestrian in a large city, you’ve probably had a close call with a car or bus while using the crosswalk. It just seems to come with the territory, and New York City is no exception. But with pedestrian deaths on the rise, smartphones have been singled out as one of the possible culprits that could be making crosswalks even more dangerous.

That’s why the New York State Legislature is considering implementing a fine for pedestrians looking at a cellphone or other electronic device while crossing the road. The fines would be $25 to $250 and apply to texting, emailing or browsing the Internet.

"Sometimes even proposing legislation reminds people of common-sense things to do and common-sense things not to do," State Sen. John Liu, who introduced the bill, told CNN. "If nothing else, the mere introduction of this bill has got people talking and thinking."

New York would not be the first to penalize crosswalk texting should the bill succeed — Honolulu became the first in the U.S. to do so in 2017.