New bill to ban headphones, cellphones at crosswalks

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill Sunday that would ban pedestrian use of cellphones or headphones at crosswalks.

The bill was proposed by Knesset member Hamad Amar from the Yisrael Beytenu party, who also serves as the chairman of the Knesset Caucus for Road Safety.

According to the bill, the rising popularity of electronic devices and smartphones endangers the lives of both pedestrians and drivers.

“From a safety perspective, there is no difference between using a cellphone while driving, and using a cellphone while crossing the street,” Amar told the ministers according to a report in Haaretz Monday.

“In both cases, the driver and the pedestrian are putting the lives of the people around them in danger,” he added.

The bill will be submitted for a preliminary reading by the Knesset on Wednesday.