We’ve all been there. Walking down the street, minding your own business, watching where you’re going, only to have to weave in and out like a downhill slalom skier to avoid people coming the other way glued to their phones.

Well now one German city has decided to cater to the needs of the ‘sombies’ (smartphone zombies) as they have been dubbed. According to a BBC report, the local council in Augsburg have installed red traffic lights in the pavement at a major pedestrian crossing so that that anyone looking down at their phone can see when it’s not safe to cross the road.

It might sound like an April Fools’ day story, but there is a serious and sombre side to it: the move came after the death of a teenager in town who was hit by a tram while looking at her phone as she crossed the tracks.

In the Chinese city of Chongqing, officials have created designated lanes on the pavement for people texting while walking, while in the US, Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt has tabled a proposal for a new “distracted walking” law that, if passed, would see anyone walking while texting in New Jersey hit with a $50 fine or even 15 days in jail.