Our firm has brought you articles in the past about the dangers of distracted driving, which certainly includes texting and driving. Now, in this culture of being constantly on the phone, there is a new danger out there….. distracted walking! You did not just read that wrong and this has truly become a serious enough issue that parking garages have hired security to, in essence, save distracted pedestrians from themselves. It is alarming that in our current culture we have become increasingly dependent upon, or addicted to, our cellphones to the point that this is not just something silly to see on YouTube anymore but a real problem with real injuries and Emergency Room visits.
Researchers have gotten in on this phenomenon and Australian researchers found that when utilizing a cell phone while walking, the walking gait changes significantly to be less balanced and not really in a straight line. Those doing experiments such as having someone dressed up like Chewbacca walking down the street or putting a clown on a unicycle near pedestrians, see that many using cell phones do not notice anything unusual, no matter how silly. There are cities and colleges now trying to be proactive in preventing distracted walker accidents and even fatalities. The largest city in our nation reduced its speed limits for cars, while a California city has been making more pedestrian only corridors and paths, and some cities and college campuses have placed signs around cautioning pedestrians to look up (or warning motorists that pedestrians will not be looking up). If distracted walkers do not notice Chewbacca walking down the street or clowns on unicycles, are they going to notice signs? And are posted speed limits going to assure cars will not be speeding on city streets?
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