• 20
  • January
    2012

Texting and driving is not the only culprit of serious car accidents. Distracted walking and biking can also be deadly contributors.

Recent studies have looked at the impact of sidewalk distractions. A study by the Journal of Injury Prevention found that there were 116 pedestrian deaths caused by headphone use between 2004 and 2011. In nearly one third of these accidents, a car (or a train, in multiple cases) had honked its horn - to no avail. One of these fatal texting accidents involved a Florida teenager who walked in front of moving cars while texting.

A similar study by Ohio State University found that more than 1,000 pedestrian injuries (injuries from slip and falls, trip and falls, etc.) were the result of pedestrian distraction caused by cell phone use.

Cell phones are much more than communication devices. With the advent of smart phones, people are now able to access Facebook, email, sports scores, weather reports and so much more on their phones. We are connected in a way we have never been before.

What better time to talk, text or check statuses than while walking to your next destination, right? Wrong.

That is exactly the kind of thinking that causes accidents, and the kind of thinking that has pressed the American College of Emergency Physicians to issue a warning: "Be mindful of the distraction and corresponding reflex-response delay that texting can cause." They caution against using a cell phone while walking, biking, rollerblading or participating in other physical activities. While this may seem like common sense, it is not uncommon to see someone texting while walking or even using cell phones while biking.

Of course, the best way to prevent accidents with cell phones is to turn them off.

Source: Ridgefield Patch, "Distracted Walking or Jogging Accidents," Richard Hastings, Jan. 20, 2012.