…or “SMOMBIES”.

Seems officials in Salzburg, Austria, now, are so concerned about the number of people injuring themselves–by walking into lampposts while checking their smartphones–that they’re putting AIRBAGS around them!

Yes, smartphones are becoming a public hazard, and the Salzburg city council hopes the airbags will help change that.  The locals refer to smartphone users who don’t pay attention to their surroundings as “Smombies”–short for “smartphone zombies”–and the action by the city council follows a report from the Board for Traffic Safety that fully one in five pedestrians is at risk from smartphone distraction.

And the city council also believes that just the sight of airbags on the lampposts will highlight the fact that people need to be more careful when using their phones while walking.

[Editor’s note: The council’s a bunch of spoilsports…now what are we going to laugh at?  And as for me, instead of airbags, I suggest…spikes.]