Distracted 'phone zombies' are dicing with death by crossing the road while glued to their devices.
Shocking footage has been released that showing the distracted pedestrians in New South Wales, Australia, walking across busy streets while fixation on their mobiles.
In the video, a man is seen walking into the pathway of a bus, while another is sent flying after he is hit by a vehicle.
The clip also shows a woman on her phone narrowly avoiding being hit by a bus.
She then walks straight into a taxi and is knocked over.
Andrew Constance, Australian Minister for Transport and Roads, has issued a warning.
He said: “We are seeing a worrying increase in zombie-like behaviour from pedestrians and it needs to end now before more lives are lost.
“There are pedestrians crossing roads distracted, head down, looking at their phone. We have others running across roads in front of moving vehicles.
“The basic road sense we teach our kids is being discarded by adults through either impatience or complacency. I urge all pedestrians to keep your head up, obey the traffic lights and please look out before you step out.”
So far this year 30 people in the New South Wales area have been killed while distracted by their phone - three were hit by a bus.
Bernard Carlon, NSW Centre for Road Safety Executive Director, said: “Reducing pedestrian fatalities is a serious focus of our Towards Zero strategy.
"While we are seeing improvements, we need all pedestrians to be safer, especially around busy roads where heavy vehicles like buses operate."
Steffen Faurby, State Transit CEO, added that pedestrian crashes have a significant emotional impact on bus drivers.
“The last thing a bus driver wants is to be involved in an incident with any road user," he said.
"A standard 12.5 metre-long bus can weigh up to 18 tonnes, and while they are operated by professional drivers these vehicles cannot stop easily or quickly.”
