“Distracted walking” by cellphone users sending pedestrians to ER
A
new study shows that cell phones are not only a hazard to drivers, but also a
hazard to those walking. Pedestrians are more likely to be injured while
using their cell phones. An estimated 1500 people were treated in
U.S. emergency rooms as a result.
Nasar,
a professor at Ohio State University who studies cellphones and distractions,
reports that pedestrians on public streets are more likely to have close calls
with cars if they are using their cell phones. The investigators
identified that the estimated number of pedestrian injuries linked to
cellphones –including those that had nothing to do with cars, such as walking
into something had increased to over 1500 emergency room visits a year.
Distracted
walking
Injuries
reported in emergency room records included such incidents as a 21-year-old
male who suffered a sprained elbow and spinal sprain when he was hit by a car
while on his phone, another walked into a pole and required stitches to his
brow, and another was a 14 year-old boy who fell several feet off
of a bridge into a ditch, causing injury to his chest.
Distracted walking
People
under 31 were among the most likely to be hurt while walking and using a
cellphone, with those aged 21-25 sustaining the most injuries, followed by
16-20 year olds. Men were slightly more likely than women to be pedestrians
victims.
This
study appears in the Journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
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