US town fines people for texting while walking

A town in New Jersey has started to fine people for walking and texting at the same time.

Officers in Fort Lee have handed out fliers telling people that 'text-walking' is an illegal activity.



New Jersey police have apparently issued 117 tickets for reckless walking over the last month.

Thomas Ripoli, chief of the Fort Lee Police Department, told ABC News: "It's a big distraction. Pedestrians aren't watching where they're walking, and they're not aware."

Some residents are not happy about the development, with a woman named Sue Chloe saying: "When I walk I still look around. I'm not like constantly looking down the whole time."

A study conducted at Stony Brook University in New York found that texters are 60 percent more likely to veer off line than non-texters.

> Woman receives $200,000 phone bill
> Woman has kept 100,000 text messages