MOTORING Beware the ‘smombie’


The AA is warning drivers to beware of the ‘smombie’ – the smartphone zombie. It follows research which


found that 72% of drivers had seen pedestrians stroll into the road while distracted by their mobile phones. The highest concentration of


‘smombie’ incidents were in London. The AA first raised the issue of


‘iPod Zombies’ in 2009. The phenomenon has now moved with the technology and the zombies have transformed into ‘smombies’ or smartphone zombies – a term first used in Germany.


In Antwerp, Belgium, special


‘text walking lanes’ have been introduced for those using mobile phones. More than half of AA Insurance claims involving a pedestrian include causes such as:


• Person on phone stepped out, wasn’t looking


• Pedestrian just walked out • She looked the wrong way • He walked into the side of the car. Edmund King, AA President,


said: “We can’t stop the march of technology but we need to halt the pedestrian, cycle and driver zombies.”


Pot luck for highway repairs


The Government has announced that £250m will be available to highways authorities to fill potholes. It could see 106,000 potholes


filled in the East Midlands alone. Nine councils in the region will


share £5.6m. The fund was announced in


Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget in March.


business network May 2016 49


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