[bbfan1991]

A town in New Jersey has started to fine people for walking and texting at the same time.

Officers in Fort Lee have handed out fliers telling people that 'text-walking' is an illegal activity.

Youtube video

New Jersey police have apparently issued 117 tickets for reckless walking over the last month.

Thomas Ripoli, chief of the Fort Lee Police Department, told ABC News: "It's a big distraction. Pedestrians aren't watching where they're walking, and they're not aware."

Some residents are not happy about the development, with a woman named Sue Chloe saying: "When I walk I still look around. I'm not like constantly looking down the whole time."

A study conducted at Stony Brook University in New York found that texters are 60 percent more likely to veer off line than non-texters.