NRMA Road Safety Expert Dimitra Vlahomitros said smombies needed to put their phones in their pockets and focus on crossing intersections safely.
"Distracted walking is a form of inattentional blindness and when you undertake this behaviour you are effectively playing chicken with fast moving traffic - the results of which can be catastrophic," Ms Vlahomitros said.
'Almost every Australian owns a smartphone and too many of them are focusing on their screens or blocking out their ability to hear traffic instead of focusing on crossing the road safely. The fact that three in every 100 pedestrians are crossing illegally while using their phones is also alarming.
'Statistics already show that the elderly, very young and those who have been drinking are already at risk when crossing the road, so adding smombies to the list only further enhances the need to crack down on this behaviour."
Look Up also outlines a series of engineering solutions to help keep pedestrians safe. These include refuge islands on large streets, countdown timers, installation of over-and-under-pass bridges, longer walk times for pedestrians and reflective pavement markings to improve visibility.
Look Up, also calls for the removal of green-on-green signals, which places pedestrians at particular risk by putting them on a collision course with turning vehicles.
The observational study occurred during April and May 2019 between 7:00 am - 1:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm. The four intersections were York/Margaret streets, Pitt/Park streets and Pitt/Goulburn streets in Sydney and Church/Argyle Streets in Parramatta.
