Putting the Traffic Lights on the Ground

We often see a group of people stand on a street corner, waiting for the traffic light. Many people look down at their smart phones instead of looking at the traffic light. One of them might step into traffic and could get hit by a car. Now, a Dutch town plans to solve the problem. The plan is to put the traffic lights on the ground. When walkers are looking down, they might see them. Strips of lights are put into the ground. They use LED lights. In an LED light, electricity moves through a crystal. As the electricity moves, the light is released. The light lines change colors, switching from green to red at exactly the same time as the traffic lights above them. People look down when they look at their smart phones. They might notice the lights on the ground, and then they will know the traffic lights have changed color. Schools in the town near the light lines are excited because they are hoping the light lines will make students safer. In America, “distracted walking” is also a serious problem. According to a report, about 5,376 people were killed by cars while walking in America in 2015. The year before, about 4,884 died this way. Pamela Lampitt is a lawmaker in America. Last year, she introduced a bill about walking and using smart phones. She wanted to protect people from getting hurt. The bill would have made it illegal to walk and to text at the same time. It would also forbid walking and using smart phones that are not hands-free. She says that walkers who look down at their smart phones will cause a danger to themselves and drivers on the road.