10 reasons not to text and walk at the same time
By Sarah Jacobsson Purewall, Greenbot, 10 June 2016.
By Sarah Jacobsson Purewall, Greenbot, 10 June 2016.
We all know texting and driving is a bad idea. But texting and walking may be worse. According to a 2013 study published in the Accident Analysis & Prevention journal, mobile phone-related injuries among pedestrians exceeded those for drivers in 2010. In other words, more people get hurt every year from texting and walking than from texting and driving.
Texting and walking is bad. It’s so bad, in fact, that New Jersey is considering making distracted walking a crime, with a punishment of up to US$50 in fines and/or 15 days in jail. But potential fines and jail time aren’t the only reasons you should be wary of texting and walking. There are many reasons to not text and walk. For example: Bear attacks. I’m serious.
1. Fountains
Fountains may be huge, gushing water structures, but texting and walking leaves you completely blind (and deaf) to all that. Not only did this woman fall into a giant fountain while texting and walking, she also contemplated suing the security guards who laughed at her.
2. Stairs
Stairs are pretty dangerous even when you’re not texting. When you are texting, they are basically death traps.
3. Storm drains
Credit: Australscope/CEN
Think your leg can’t get stuck in a storm drain? Think again! This Chinese teenager managed to text and walk her way right into a storm drain last summer, where her entire leg got stuck for about 45 minutes before the fire department was able to free her.
4. Chairs
Yes, even chairs are out to get you. Don’t text and sit!
5. Bears
You might think it’s safe to text and walk while you’re meandering down your driveway, but you’re wrong because bears will attack you. Take this California man, who managed to look up from his oh-so-important text message (he claims it was a text to his boss) just in time to see a 300-pound bear walking toward him.
6. Doors
That classic “I thought this door was open but I actually had no idea because I was looking at my phone” moment.
7. Walls
The only thing worse than walking into a closed door is walking into a wall.
8. Trains
It’s probably common sense that if you’re going to text and walk, you shouldn’t do it around large moving vehicles. Like trains. Lucky for this guy, train platforms have built-in areas where you can take shelter if you happen to fall onto the tracks. And it’s not just subway riders who text their way into trouble. Just last year, a 27-year-old Florida woman was clipped by a freight train thanks to her distracted walking.
9. Sinkholes
Never do anything but walk while you are walking in China, because the sidewalks there are apparently full of hazards, including invisible ones. This teenage girl was on her phone (possibly not texting, but still) when she fell 20 feet through the pavement into a sinkhole.
10. Your own two feet
You could be in the middle of a completely empty football field, and your own two feet would still sabotage you if you attempted to text and take a step. Trust us: Texting and walking is never worth it!
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