Likened to the walking dead, people so absorbed in their smartphones and tablets stumble across busy city streets, mumbling to themselves, totally oblivious to others and dangerous traffic moving around them. Fairly often these animated cadavers cross streets against the traffic warning lights and get whacked by a car or truck, bike rider, motorcycle, or all four. Sometimes the walking digital dead cause multi-vehicle pileups where those other than themselves get injured.
Noting that these zombies all walk looking down at their devices, the powers that be in the city of Augsburg in Germany have what they believe to be a solution. Traffic crossing lights have been installed on the ground at crossing points. The hope is that the down-looking beings will notice them and proceed across streets at the appropriate times when the signal changes in their favor.
Crossing traffic signals are placed on the ground to accommodate down-looking pedestrians
It sounds like a good idea in theory and it may work if the walking dead take heed. Unfortunately, they will still be looking down and not seeing the driver who loses control of their car because he or she is texting or surfing the web while driving.
Traffic light after a down-looking smartphone user walked into it.
At any rate, it’s quit accommodating of the German authorities to put this system in place. After all, why bother waking the dead? They might actually do something. ~MD