Personal Injury Attorney .\u00a0You know better than to text while driving, but what about when walking? Distracted walking accidents are reportedly on the rise. Petextrians \u2014 pedestrians who text \u2014 are partly to blame.<\/p>\n
Distraction Nation<\/p>\n
According to Ohio State University researchers, using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, from 2005 to 2010, the number of cell-phone-related walking injuries more than doubled to 1,500 \u2014 even while pedestrian injuries on the whole dropped.<\/p>\n
In 2012, University of Washington researchers studied more than 1,100 pedestrians at 20 Seattle intersections. They found that about a third of the people were walking distractedly, i.e. walking while talking, listening to music, or writing email.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the Georgia Department of Transportation studied 20 busy intersections in that state 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. Six percent were engaged in multiple distractions, such as texting and listing to music.<\/p>\n
Multitasking Takes More Time<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t take a rocket scientist to cross the street, so what\u2019s the big deal? Well, researchers in both studies mentioned above found that distracted walkers took one to two seconds longer to cross. They also forgot basics, like looking both ways and making sure they had the light.<\/p>\n
The Georgia study noted that the carelessness of the distracted also seems to give more focused folks false confidence. \u201cThis may be because they perceived their risk to be lower due to the fact that they were paying attention,\u201d the study\u2019s authors wrote.<\/p>\n
A sociologist at William Paterson University observed pedestrians at five busy Manhattan intersections found that one quarter of those who crossed when they had the light were distracted by headphones or cell phones. Meanwhile, one half of the walkers crossing against the light were distracted by technology.<\/p>\n
The Manhattan study noted many near-misses, situations where distracted pedestrians were pushed out of the way of an oncoming vehicle by their fellow walkers. Researchers recommended that the city post warning signs telling people to text before stepping off the curb, just as drivers are advised to pull over when making a phone call.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Be Cellfish<\/p>\n
Walking can be a very healthy activity. But not when it ends in injury. And it\u2019s 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. Focus on the phone changes gait and makes it difficult to walk straight.<\/p>\n
That ends up being a problem for all of us. According to Pew Research Center data from 2014, more than half of all adult cell phone users have bumped into something or someone \u2014 or have been bumped \u2014 due to distracted walking. That rate rises to 71 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds, an age group notorious for attachment to its tech.<\/p>\n
So don\u2019t be a cellfish petextrian. Put your phone in your pocket and look both ways when you cross the street. If you are involved in an injury accident for distracted walking, contact an experienced personal injury attorney for assistance. -findlaw<\/p>\n
Been injured due to distraction? \u00a0Contact a personal injury attorney that will fight for you. \u00a0Contact Charleston’s best in Personal Injury Law, Clekis Law Firm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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