If you’re someone who checks your phone a lot while you’re
walking down city sidewalks, crossing street to street, you may want to start
keeping your eyes on what’s in front of you. It is well known that you should
never text while you drive, but how dangerous is texting while walking? Texting
while walking across streets can have serious consequences as well.
Texting while walking decreases the ability to walk in a
straight line, just like it may cause you to swerve while driving. In an
experiment performed by Jack Nasar, a professor emeritus at Ohio State
University, he found that pedestrians who use their phones while walking are 48
percent more likely to walk into oncoming traffic.
Distracted walkers also take longer to cross the street
because being distracted on your phone slows you down. Because you are
distracted, you are also more likely to ignore traffic lights or fail to look
both ways. All these actions increase your chance of getting into a
pedestrian/vehicle accident.
This issue especially has been prevalent among teens. Nearly
40 percent of teens in the U.S. have either been hit or close to being hit by a
passing car, motorcycle, or bike due to cell phone-related distractions.
Pedestrian deaths in general have risen by 15 percent since
2009, and the number of pedestrians injured while on their phones has more than
doubled since 2005, according to a study conducted by researchers at Ohio State
University. This could be due to the fact that people use their cellphones for
more tasks now, now that smart phones and social media have become a lot more
common over the years.
The fact of the matter is that while it might be more
dangerous to text and drive because you’re using a multi-ton vehicle and
potentially threatening the lives of others on the road, using your phone while
walking is still very risky and dangerous for your own safety. It is simply
best to just leave the phone away especially while crossing an intersection, or
it may increase your chance of becoming another pedestrian accident
statistic.
If
you or someone you know has been involved in a car crash or truck accident in
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor,
Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Westland, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield,
Waterford or any other city in Michigan, make sure to contact Motor City
Accident Attorneys by calling 1-800-411-PAIN. Motor City Accident Attorneys
know how stressful a car accident can be and want to help you get back on your
feet. They will fight tirelessly for your rights and help you get the
compensation you deserve, according to your specific case. Make sure to follow
Motor City Accident Attorneys on Twitter (@MCAccidentAtty) and Facebook. Join
the conversation by using #MCAA.
