Honolulu 1st U.S. city to ban pedestrian texting while crossing the street

A man texts while walking a crosswalk in downtown Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, June 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Honolulu, Hawaii has become the first U.S. city to make it illegal for pedestrians to text or even look at their mobile phones while crossing the street. 

Violators can face fines of $15 for a first offense and up to $99 for repeated offenses. 

Police say the idea is to curb bad behavior, but there are mixed feelings about the new law. 

"I'm fine with that, 'cause it seems like a lot of cars don't pay attention and people, when they walk, don't pay attention neither," said Honolulu resident, Phuong Young. 

"I don't know if it should be a law that you can't use your phone, 'cause it's your phone," said Sandra Hirooka, a Kaneeohe resident. 

The ban goes into effect in Honolulu on October 25.