The Dangers of Texting While Walking
You have heard it said by law enforcement officials and other safety advocates to not text while driving, and rightfully so as this irresponsible act can result in a car accident with injuries and fatalities. While it is very important that drivers around the world learn the dangers of texting and driving, drivers are not the only ones at risk of causing an accident when texting.
Studies show that texting while walking is also a very dangerous act, and because of the pedestrian’s failure to pay attention to their surroundings, this may result in a devastating accident involving cars, or other people. Researchers will argue that walking while distracted is almost as bad as distracted driving because pedestrians are accountable for their lives when crossing busy streets.
Lead researcher with the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, Dr. Beth Ebel, claims that both texting and talking on the phone when crossing a street is placing both your own life and the life of other cars at risk of an accident.
Dr. Ebel notes that because of this distraction, these pedestrians are not seeing the crossing warnings and light changes, and are therefore placing themselves in the way of oncoming traffic. Sadly, if the cars are traveling fast enough, they may not be able to stop in time when they see the texting pedestrian.
According to studies, there are about 60,000 injuries caused by car and pedestrian accidents annually, with at least 4,000 deaths per year. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a car accident or a pedestrian accident as a result of either a negligent driver or walker who was distracted by their phone or another device, consider contacting a Raleigh personal injury lawyer today.
At the Whitley Law Firm we will do whatever we can to help you seek compensation after an injury and prove the liability of the responsible party. Contact us today for more information!