The next time you walk through the streets of your city, take a look around and count the people who are actually looking in front of them. Not many. Most of them are talking on their phones, messaging or even completely immersed into their mobile devices. Portable technology has drastically changed our habits, but it can also be dangerous. Crossing busy traffic streets without the due attention is risky and town administrators are thinking about the necessary countermeasures.

In the Dutch town of Bodegraven, administrators have thought of installing LED strips on the sidewalks near pedestrian crossings. The red light, which is synchronized with traffic lights, can attract the attention of those who are looking down to their smartphones. Such a simple solution, yet that can save lives.

The system tested in Holland is called +Lighting (+Lichtlijn in Dutch) and it is manufactured by HIG Traffic, but it is not the only one. The German city of Augsburg is experimenting with similar ground light signals in train stations and even Sydney in Australia is carrying out experiments with ground-level traffic lights.

Pedestrian crossings are certainly one of the crucial points for the safety of our cities and this is why lighting is often reinforced (also read our article). In this case, however, in addition to LEDs to prevent dangers we should also use common sense, say the municipal police of the Dutch town who disagree with a system that seems to reward bad behaviour. In fact, a responsible use of smartphones must surely be part of our education on streets, as well as inside our cars.