PULSE - Europe beyond the beat

The phenomenon

More and more 'smart phone zombies' on the street: initiatives to combat them

Initiatives are growing in Italy and Europe to reduce 'smombie' risks and make pedestrians responsible as well

by Davide Madeddu (Il Sole 24 Ore) and Ana Somavilla (El Confidencial, Spain)

29 January 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Smartphone? Source of distraction even for pedestrians. Who, if undisciplined, can be fined. Because it is certainly not uncommon to see passers-by completely absorbed in looking at their phones, risking being run over or stumbling. It is precisely this reason that has prompted the municipal police of several cities, as well as public administrations, to promote awareness campaigns and 'sanction' undisciplined pedestrians. The so-called smartphone zombies or, much more simply, those who have been renamed the 'smombies'.

The first experiment was carried out in Sassari in 2018. It all started with an observation, as Giani Serra, commander of the local police, points out. 'We noticed that there was a high number of accidents involving pedestrians,' he recounts. 'We were also able to verify that in many cases these were people distracted by the use of their phones.' Hence the launch of an awareness and communication campaign with videos, and other messages reminding us of the risk of being fined. "Although there is no precise article providing for a penalty for pedestrians on the phone," adds the commander, "we have interpreted Article 190 of the Highway Code, which requires pedestrians to behave diligently. In 2018, for one hundred pedestrians distracted by the use of smartphones, fines were triggered: 25 euros, reduced to 18 euros if paid immediately, in application of the Highway Code. 'These are penalties aimed at raising awareness,' he says, 'because people's safety is at stake'. A decision taken after a series of findings and surveys carried out by the local police and the administration on accidents recorded in the city (60 per cent under 40' the others aged between 41 and 60).

"Over the years we have repeated the awareness-raising campaigns," the commander continues, "and we have noticed that, with the passage of time, the number of accidents involving pedestrians distracted by their phones has also fallen. Especially because today, thanks to video surveillance systems, we can reconstruct dynamics and scenarios". Awareness-raising campaigns have also been carried out by the municipality of Verona, where initiatives have been promoted to urge pedestrians to behave diligently. Not only that, precisely in Verona, an initiative has started with traffic lights for those distracted by their smartphones: it is a red line that tells you when you can cross and is a reminder for those who walk with their eyes on their phones and do not look at the traffic lights.

Attention is also paid to pedestrian behaviour in Genoa, where a series of initiatives aimed at ensuring road safety have been underway for some time. 'There is a strong focus on these issues,' emphasises Arianna Viscogliosi, Councillor for Safety. 'We took office in May and have been working on road safety since June. We also carried out an awareness-raising campaign with young and very young people. Within a short time we have noticed that the percentage of accidents committed by young people has decreased'.

Even on the street, attention remains high for those who walk 'lost' among the images arriving from smartphones. It is not only Italian municipalities that have to deal with the smombie phenomenon. In some EU countries, in fact, solutions are beginning to be studied to raise awareness and penalise those who walk 'distracted'.

In the Netherlands, for example, intelligent traffic lights have been used for some time now, which shoot the red light on the ground and alert distracted smombies. In Ireland too, solutions to alert distracted traffic light users are being studied, the decision came from Dublin City Council. Similar solutions had already been adopted in Australia.

The Spanish case

In Spain, the smombie phenomenon has also come under scrutiny. According to data from the Dgt, the General Traffic Directorate, 102 pedestrians died on Spanish roads in 2024, and a significant proportion of the accidents were attributed to distracted behaviour, particularly the use of smartphones. Cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia have begun to recognise the risk associated with this type of behaviour, especially in areas of high pedestrian density and near crossings.

At the regulatory level, however, there is still no national legislation that explicitly sanctions those who cross the road while looking at their phone. Some municipal ordinances may, however, provide for fines when the behaviour represents a clear danger to road safety or public order. Carelessly crossing the road, even when distracted by a smartphone, can cost up to 200 euros in fines.

Part of the law enforcement action comes through the Dgt, which has also introduced checks on pedestrians to ensure proper road use. The sanctions do not directly affect the use of mobile phones, but risky behaviour: for example, crossing outside the pedestrian crossing can lead to a fine of EUR 80, unless there are no crossings nearby and adequate visibility conditions are ensured, as laid down in the general traffic regulations.

On the social perception front, the data show a broad consensus towards stricter measures. According to the latest Pedestrian Perception Study in Spain, carried out by the Ponle Freno-AXA Road Safety Study and Opinion Centre, 83.2 per cent of Spaniards believe that pedestrians who cross while looking at their mobile phones should be fined, while 76.4 per cent are in favour of penalties for those who run red lights or who cross outside crossings. A sign of how urban road safety is increasingly seen as a shared responsibility.

Finally, there is no shortage of information and visual initiatives: in Zaragoza, for example, a new sign has been introduced for pedestrians distracted by their phones, designed to draw attention to the risks when cars approach. Also in Spain, therefore, the approach remains focused above all on individual responsibility and prevention, framing smartphone distractions within a broader road safety problem.

*This article is part of the European collaborative journalism project "Pulse"