More people injured from walking ?

[smokin]

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-styl...icle-1.1125295

Reports of injuries to distracted walkers treated at emergency rooms have more than quadrupled in past seven years, research shows

WASHINGTON - A young man talking on a cellphone meanders along the edge of a lonely train platform at night. Suddenly he stumbles, loses his balance and pitches over the side, landing head first on the tracks.

Fortunately there were no trains approaching the Philadelphia-area station at that moment, because it took the man several minutes to recover enough to climb out of danger. But the incident, captured last year by a security camera and provided to The Associated Press, underscores the risks of what government officials and safety experts say is a growing problem: distracted walking.

On city streets, in suburban parking lots and in shopping centers, there is usually someone strolling while talking on a phone, texting with his head down, listening to music, or playing a video game. The problem isn't as widely discussed as distracted driving, but the danger is real.

Reports of injuries to distracted walkers treated at hospital emergency rooms have more than quadrupled in the past seven years and are almost certainly underreported. There has been a spike in pedestrians killed and injured in traffic accidents, but there is no reliable data on how many were distracted by electronics.

"We are where we were with cellphone use in cars 10 years or so ago. We knew it was a problem, but we didn't have the data," said Jonathan Akins, deputy executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety offices.

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Maybe we should have a test to get walking liscences ?


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-styl...#ixzz22AFMMrD7

[Flippper]

The flicker rates of newer tv's are set to put people in a more suggestible state, it's possible that some do not emerge from that state and wander around falling off train trestles onto their heads. Perhaps cell phone radiation is similar to tv radiation, acting as a trigger to induce people into that state.

Of course liberty thieves would prefer we just outlaw cellphones outside of our homes (or whatever they are aiming at).

[m.anderson]

Just to any large city, say Denver, and just watch people.It is amazing.
They never look up

[zeker]

back b4 cell phoines and ipads..long time ago..I was i in a vehicle and saw a young man walking and reading a book..he walked into the side of a moving tractor trailer..The driver of the truck saw it was gonna happen and drove up on an island to get away from this person , to no avail..The walker was not injured but I imagine supremel;y embarrassed.. stupid should hurt

[Foothiller]

Just got back from a required business trip to NYC.

Wow. What a fascist liberal nannystate hellhole.

I would never go there voluntarily.

Anyway while I was there, I noticed so many people with their attention glued to their phones. Oblivious to their environment for the most part.

They seem to be in love with their devices.

I was the odd man out. I only look at my work-supplied blackberry for checking email, and then at my convenience.

I found that setting the thing to notify me every time a new email arrived began to drive me crazy. I'd be working on fixing a critical company wide issue and I get emails complaining about printers not working. Very distracting and removes the ability to focus on a task and get it done.

I now only check my email/device about 3 times per day. Other than that it just sits in its belt holster like an ankle weight.

[FarmerJohn]

Heck, it's not just walking that can result in injury. Last night I was on the sofa watching the Olympic Dressage Cross-Country event when I got a severe leg cramp.

Nowhere is safe!

Post edited to add that protective gear would not have helped in that situation.

[Avatar]

Mandatory walking helmets!

[packyderms_wife]

back b4 cell phoines and ipads..long time ago..I was i in a vehicle and saw a young man walking and reading a book..he walked into the side of a moving tractor trailer..The driver of the truck saw it was gonna happen and drove up on an island to get away from this person , to no avail..The walker was not injured but I imagine supremel;y embarrassed.. stupid should hurt

Several weeks back I watched an older guy walking down the sidewalk text messaging, he walked straight into a parking meter and managed to rack himself and pretty good. Once he got up he looked around, red faced, to see if anyone had seen him perform such a feat, I was laughing and pretty hard!

[Straycat]

...Y'know, I suddenly don't feel so ridiculous about occasionally bouncing off door frames (slight balance issue). At least I'm paying attention to where I'm going!

[Doat]

People have and will continue to be injured or killed in all kind of other activities. Much more than that with guns other than wars. This is all about control.