Walking & Texting: Do You Know the Dangers?
While we all know that it is very unsafe to text and drive, distracted walking is on the rise and reports show that pedestrians who text are to blame.
According to Ohio State University researchers, using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the number of cell-phone-related walking injuries more than doubled to 1,500 from 2005 to 2010.
In 2012, University of Washington researchers studied more than 1,100 pedestrians at 20 Seattle intersections and found that about a third of the people were walking distractedly – meaning they were walking while talking, listening to music, or typing an email.
Likewise, the Georgia Department of Transportation studied 20 busy intersections throughout Georgia and found that nearly half of pedestrians were distracted while crossing the street. Electronics accounted for most of the lack of focus, with 26 percent of people wearing headphones, 15 percent texting, and 13 percent talking on the phone. Another six percent engaged in multiple distractions, such as texting and listening to music.
The researchers from all of the studies above found that distracted walkers took one to two seconds longer to cross the street and they also failed to look both ways before they leapt into the roadway with oncoming traffic.
Walking can be a great form of exercise, but certainly not when it results in injury. Something you might not know is that walking is not as healthy when done in conjunction with a phone. Pedestrians who walked with their cell phones experienced less of the health benefits of walking, according to Australian researchers. Focusing on a cell phone changes your gait and makes it difficult to walk straight.
According to Pew Research Center data from 2014, more than half of all adult cell phone users have bumped into something or someone due to distracted walking. That rate increased to 71 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds.
Distracted walking is risky business. If you or someone you love is involved in an accident that results in an injury of any kind due to distracted walking, a Citrus County Injury Lawyer at Whittel & Melton can help you figure out what steps to take next. Call us today at 352-726-0078 or contact us online for a free consultation.