Dangerous distractions: Walking while texting

By Kelly-Ann Lambert | 15 September 2014

We all know that driving and texting can lead

to serious consequences, but what about
texting while walking?

unicycle juggling brightly coloured balls rode

past people walking and texting. Only a
quarter of those using their phones noticed.

A team of researchers from the University of

Queensland have conducted a study to
answer this very question. They found that
those who texted or read their phones walked
slower, veered more off course and locked
their torsos into a rigid position. The
researchers also warned that text messaging
put a walkers balance, posture and safety at
risk.

A quick search on YouTube also reveals

amusing examples of people falling into mall
fountains, plunging into sink holes, and one
man who almost walked into a black bear.

One of the studys authors, Dr Siobhan

Schabrun, says Their head assumes a flexed,
or tucked-chin position. Combined with more
head movement, this upsets their balance and
therefore their ability to walk in a straight
line.
Over one third of study participants admitted
they had previously fallen, tripped or walked
into an obstacle while texting.
While the dangers of texting while driving
have been well verified, attention has only
recently shifted to the safety risks of those
text zombies, or those people checking their
phones while walking.
Trauma director at St Vincent's Hospital
Sydney, Dr Tony Grabs, said Distracted
pedestrians near roads are as at risk as
someone under the influence of alcohol.
"You only have to walk out on the street and
see what people are doing to see that this is a
real problem," Dr Grabs said.
Researchers at Western Washington
University have also begun to document this
thoroughly modern epidemic. A clown riding a

In Britain, various news agencies reported on

Londons first Safe Text street which had
padded lamp posts and bins to protect mobile
phone users from being hurt. As it turned out,
this was actually a public relations ploy by a
charity dedicated to making cities more
pedestrian-friendly but there is a point here
all the same.
While sometimes humorous, texting while
walking produces inattentional blindness. This
is not a physiological defect or deficit, but a
psychological lack of attention.
Texting while driving is already a recognised
problem in Australia, and is illegal. A survey by
the Australian Department of Infrastructure
and Transport showed 14 per cent of
surveyed drivers text while driving and 31 per
cent read messages while on the road.
George Branyan, Pedestrian Coordinator for
the District of Columbia Department of
Transportation, says that in most pedestrian
accidents text messaging is not a major factor.
Most pedestrian accidents, according to
Branyan, happen because people jaywalk or
drivers ignore existing traffic laws. For
example, drivers allowing pedestrians to go
across a zebra crossing, respecting the speed
limit and stopping at red lights.

This research out of the University of

Queensland helps prove the link.
Researcher Wolbert van den Hoorn from the
UQ School of Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences (SHRS) said that people checking
their phones were sacrificing their speed,
balance, posture and ability to walk in a
straight line.
Considering these results, we would suggest
that if you need to send a message from your
phone, for your own safety move to one side,
stop, and then type your message.
In a case of theres an app for that, Apple
have secured a US patent for an App that will
allow the user to see what is going on in front

of the phone. Live feed from the back camera

would display on the screen behind a semitransparent display for the text message. It is
called Type n Walk, and Apple clearly states
that it is for walking, and not texting while
driving.
With over 50% of Australians owning internet
capable mobile phones in 2012, and almost
70% in 2013, perhaps this is a reminder to
everyone to be smarter on their smart
phones.