New pavement lights have been deployed at a pedestrian crossing in the Netherlands that would allow smartphone users to cross the road safely.

+Lichtlijn, which means light line, has been developed and installed by Bodegraafse HIG Traffic Systems at the Bodegraven-Reeuwijk municipality in the Netherlands.

The system has been incorporated to draw the attention of the pedestrians who are addicted to their smartphones and remain distracted while crossing the road, reported Independent.

Councillor Kees Oskam was quoted by independent.co.uk as saying: “Social media, games, WhatsApp and music are major distractions in traffic.

“We may not be able to change this trend, but we can anticipate problems.”

The light strips, which are illuminated with light-emitting diode (LED), are embedded on the ground, and are developed to draw the attention of the people who look down at their phones while crossing the roads.

"We may not be able to change this trend, but we can anticipate problems."

The green or red lights indicate the pedestrians when to cross the road and when not to. They change colour depending on the traffic light signals.

The new system will first be deployed as a test setup and initially will be on a sidewalk, which if proves to be effective will later be incorporated on the paths of the Netherlands.

The company Bodegraafse HIG Traffic Systems intends to provide the solution at other municipalities across the European country.

Image: The red and green light strips indicate pedestrians when to cross and when not to. Photo: courtesy of Gemeente.