Don't tell me that you've never done this because I KNOW that you have. We all do it, don't we? Maybe we know it's not the smartest thing and that we should really be more careful but pretty much everyone I know has been caught texting while walking down the street.
In fact, I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I was doing it during lunch today. I left work to run a couple of errands and decided that was also the ideal time to answer a few text messages. It's a wonder that I saw the lights change correctly, especially since the phenomenon known as "distracted walking" is actually sending more and more people to the hospital–and not all of them are coming out alive.
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I guess it really should come as no surprise that being distracted while walking down the street can cause some injuries. There's definitely been a time or two that I just barely missed a car or a bike. Then of course there's just the act of running into another person and collapsing in a heap of arms and legs.
Maybe that last scenario doesn't seem so bad, but I once scraped my knee after falling when I ran into a text-walker while I was text-walking. I've also seen a car crash into a woman (who, luckily, was okay) who was texting while walking. So why am I still doing it, then? I guess it's just SO convenient and distracting that some days I just can't help myself.
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I know that I seriously need to start minding my walking, though, since reports say that while traffic deaths have gone down since 2010, "pedestrian deaths and injuries have spiked 4.2 and 19 percent, respectively." That's quite a huge increase and I wouldn't at all be surprised if 99% of those cases are caused by text-walking. In fact, I would bet on it. I think this statistic alone has convinced me to get out of my bad habit and I sincerely hope it convinces you, too.
Have you ever texted while walking? How do you keep your family from engaging in this risky behavior? Share with us in the comments below!
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