Doctors and safety experts are increasingly concerned about the risk associated with distraction while walking. What are people so captivated by: responding to or sending text messages, talking on cell phones, or using some type of mobile device with headphones to listen to music while walking? Preoccupied and distracted pedestrians have become common on busy city streets. This loss of situational awareness is similar to that of a distracted driver. The result can be injury or death.
Walking using electronic devices can cause injury or death:
Several recent cases confirm the hazards associated with walking while texting, talking on cell phones, or listening to mobile devices. A teenage girl in New York City fell six feet through an open manhole while texting. She sustained minor injuries but was exposed to raw sewage. A Florida teen was not so fortunate; he died from injuries received when he stepped into the path of oncoming cars as he crossed a busy city street while texting. A university exchange student stepped into the path of a bus while jogging and listening to an Ipod in North Carolina. A man sustained a broken finger when he tripped and fell while talking on his cell phone. It is worth noting that at least three people in the Washington D.C. area have died in accidents this past year while wearing headphones. As these few examples indicate, walking while using electronic devices has become a common hazard that needs to be addressed. The American College of Emergency Physicians has issued a warning that texting while walking, driving, biking, or rollerblading can result in serious injury or even death.
Several studies document electronic devices and associated hazards:
A study conducted by Ohio State University showed that more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 because they were distracted and tripped, fell, or ran into something while using a cell phone to talk or text. The study showed that young people injured themselves more often than adults. Half of the people injured were under the age of 30, with a quarter of those being between the ages of 16 and 20.
