Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 21, 2026

Zhejiang City to Start Fining Distracted Pedestrians

Zhejiang City to Start Fining Distracted Pedestrians

Officials in the eastern city of Jiaxing want walkers to keep their eyes on the road, not their phones.

A city in eastern China wants pedestrians to look both ways - and only both ways - when crossing the street, threatening smartphone addicts with fines of up to 50 yuan ($7) for checking their phones or other mobile devices in traffic.

The new rules, approved by Jiaxing city leaders in August and ratified by the Zhejiang provincial People’s Congress late last month, are aimed at promoting “civilized behavior.” In addition to the above-mentioned restriction on mobile device use, the list of prohibited actions also includes throwing garbage out of car windows; sloppy or illicit parking; and making a commotion in public spaces like libraries, museums, and movie theaters.

But it was the rules targeting ditouzu, or the “lowered-heads tribe,” that attracted the bulk of the attention - and support - after Jiaxing’s decision went viral over the weekend. On popular microblogging platform Weibo, a hashtag related to the policy had 52 million views by time of publication, with many calling the fines “a great idea.”

“Absolutely support it! We can’t allow an individual’s lack of safety awareness to harm drivers and their families,” reads one upvoted comment. Some suggested adopting the policy nationwide, while others argued a 50 yuan fine was not enough to deter potential rulebreakers.

While the majority of reactions were supportive, some users questioned whether the city was being reasonable. “If both pedestrians and drivers are all following the traffic lights, who cares if people are looking at their phones while crossing the street?” asked one.

Jiaxing is not the only city dealing with distracted pedestrians. This January, Wenzhou City, also in Zhejiang province, banned a number of “behaviors affecting other vehicles or pedestrians,” including certain categories of phone use. Later that month, the city’s decision to fine a pedestrian 10 yuan for using her mobile phone while crossing the street drew widespread applause from netizens.

In May 2017, a motorcycle passenger died after colliding with a jaywalker in China’s southern Guangdong province. Surveillance camera footage showed the jaywalker looking at his phone while crossing the street, and he ultimately paid 200,000 yuan in compensation to the deceased’s family and was given a 10-month suspended sentence.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
Modern Slavery Decisions Broaden the Al Fayed Inquiry’s Frame
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Arrest Warrant Issued in Lebanon for Tycoon Spotted Meeting Netanyahu in Washington
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Pentagon Discloses Nearly 100 US Troop Injuries During Renewed Iran Fighting
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Turkey Explores S-400 Transfer to UAE in Bid to Rejoin F-35 Program
US Retaliates Against Iran After Two American Troops Killed in Jordan
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
Gold and Cash Seizure Puts Indonesia’s Senior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Under Investigation
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
×