This summer, city sidewalks are clotted with people gazing in store windows, dodging bikers and skateboarders, and … bumping into each other. Or colliding with lampposts. Or tripping over curbs. Or wandering into crosswalks against the light. Or, in one
This summer, city sidewalks are clotted with people gazing in store windows, dodging bikers and skateboarders, and … bumping into each other. Or colliding with lampposts. Or tripping over curbs. Or wandering into crosswalks against the light. Or, in one case we witnessed, stumbling over a startled beagle’s rump, midtail-wag.
Why? Because the walking wanderers’ eyes are riveted to the smartphone, paying absolutely no attention to obstacles looming right in front of them.
We would like to warn of the hazards of texting while walking with a clear conscience, secure in the knowledge we have never done such a thing and never would. But we can’t.
Confession time: Like many Americans, we have found our eyes glued to the screen when … oops! … we almost collided with someone else.
So, yes, we understand the mesmerizing power of the glowing cell screen. This summer, Pokemon Go beckons. That adds to the usual distractions: texts and emails from friends and family that must be answered right now. Facebook posts that just have to be viewed. Positively urgent tweet threads. Breaking news alerts. And so on.
Texting and walking simultaneously might seem as simple as breathing and walking. But it’s not. As one doctor said, “When you’re texting, you’re not as in control of the complex actions of walking.”
Witness the rising number of reported accidents involving distracted pedestrians who increasingly wind up in the doctor’s office or emergency room.
Long hours of texting also can take a toll on you. Physical therapists report a rising number of teens complaining of “text neck” — back and neck pain caused by the strain of hours of hunching over a phone.
Last year, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons launched a campaign to warn of the dangers of what it dubbed digital deadwalking. The academy released survey results indicating 78 percent of adults in the United States think distracted walking is a “serious” issue. Trouble is, only 29 percent admitted they did it themselves.
Can cell-addicted Americans kick the habit? Sure. It doesn’t take 12 steps, just two: Stow the phone. Resume your life.
— Chicago Tribune
