Texting while walking can be a recipe for a disaster.
Ever walked down the street, head buried in your smartphone and suddenly, a wild post appeared, smacking you in the face? It would seem that you’re not the only one having this problem. Walking was deemed an extreme sport when it is associated with texting.
As far-fetched as it might seem, you can get yourself in a heap load of trouble if you decide to pay more attention to your SO’s wishlist than to the car that’s coming towards you. Moreover, there is also a study that proves once and for all that walking and texting is a big no-no.
The American Academy of Orthopedics, AAOS for short, has released a detailed study which demonstrates how distracting walking can actually become detrimental to your health. The study involved over 6000 adults from all over the country that either admit distracting walking is a serious issue or they do it themselves. According to the number, circa 78 percent of them admitted that this type of walking is detrimental to one’s health. However, about 74 percent of the people that foresaw a problem in walking while texting said that they say other people do it. Merely 29 percent of them plead guilty as charged.
According to the same study, it would seem that the whole walking and texting or digital dead walk, as other prefer to call it, can actually put your life in danger. The investigators have discovered that people who pay more attention to their devices than their environment tend to ignore red lights and spend far too much time before crossing the street. Moreover, it would seem that texting can significantly reduce our speed, meaning that people who walk and text will be more sluggish than other.
The whole study, which bears the brand of the survey, has been conducted by the Ipsos Public Affairs, which is affiliated with the league of orthopedic surgeons.
The survey had to put a label on this whole thingamabob and so walking was deemed an extreme sport when it is associated with texting or placing calls. So, the next time you decide to hug a lamppost, just remember that the innocent lamp didn’t appear from thin air. You may want to put your phone away while walking, especially during the holiday seasons.
The AAOS cautioned people to pay more attention to their environment and, if possible, to put the phone aside while walking. Or, better yet, if the matter is urgent, it would be a better idea to stop, selfie and post.
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