Tell New Jersey Not to Criminalize Texting While Walking!

New Jersey assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt recently introduced a bill that would ban texting while walking in a roadway. The penalty? A $50 fine and 15 days in jail.

Criminalizing the use of hands-on electronic devices while walking is an overreach. It's true that statistics show distracted walking has caused fatal and injurious traffic accidents, and some heightened awareness could save lives. But the answer isn't jail time and fines, it's education or at most, a light fine when texting in a crosswalk. Lampitt's law would likely disproportionately affect people of color and low-income folks, whose communities are already over-policed and over-criminalized.

Please sign the petition to tell New Jersey not to criminalize texting while walking. Instead, the state should implement a public awareness campaign about the dangers of crossing the street while texting or implement a light fine for those who text while walking in a crosswalk only.