Is our smartphone use getting out of hand? It could very well be. Do you guys remember the video of the Chinese woman who fell into a lake because she was too engrossed with her smartphone? We can’t even count how many times people have bumped into us because they were texting or how many times we’ve bumped into people because we had to get that email out ASAP. Locally, our Senate has approved the Anti-Distracted Driving Act that discourage drivers from using their devices while on the road as it may lead to accidents or slow downs to the already crawling traffic in Metro Manila.

South Korea has also taken notice of the perils of excessive phone use and recently unveiled two traffic signs in Seoul that urge pedestrians to be more aware of their surroundings, especially in high traffic areas. The traffic signs, seen above, will be placed in 5 districts with the highest smartphone related incidents: Hongdae, City Hall, Yonsei University, Gangnam Station, and Jamsil Station.

We all love our devices, but we do spend an awful lot of time with our gaze directed to our smartphones as we go about our daily business; often blocking the way as other people navigate through sidewalks or slowing down the pace for other pedestrians who need to get places too. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t use your smartphones — We might as well be preaching to ourselves if we did — but let us all be mindful of the people around us and our surroundings to avoid mishaps that may land us in the hospital or may lead to scenes like this:

Source: Mashable Asia