The “significant threat” of distracted walking injuries, which are on the rise, is “so alarming,” that for the first time this year the trend is included in the National Safety Council’s annual statistical report.
Fifty-two percent of distracted walking incidents involving cell phones happened at home, not on or near roads, as many believe, and most of the injuries affected women and people 40 years old and younger, the nonprofit advocacy group announced earlier this week.
“More than half of all unintentional injuries each year happen at home, so don’t take your safety for granted,” Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and chief executive of the National Safety Council, said in a statement. “No call, text or update is worth an injury.”
The increase in cell phone distracted walking injuries parallels the eight-fold overall increase in cell phone use in the last the 15 years, according to the recent analysis released in conjunction with National Safety Month, observed in June.
The group’s yearly report, Injury Facts, tracks data around the leading causes of unintentional injuries and deaths
“Whether we are in the car or on foot, it is important to be aware of our surroundings, even if they are familiar,” Hersman added.
From the recent study:
- 68 percent of those injured were women
- 54 percent were people 40 years old or younger
- the issue also impacts other age groups; 21 percent of those injured were 71 and older
- nearly 80 percent of the injuries were due to a fall.
- talking on the phone accounted for 62 percent of injuries; most common were dislocation or fracture, sprains or strains and concussions
- unintentional injuries are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
“It is just as important to walk cell free as it is to drive cell free,” the group said.
The dangers of distracted driving are well know. In the past eight years, 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have banned text messaging for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices. Just last month, Oklahoma became the latest state to sign a bill to outlaw texting while driving.
The GHSA maintains a current list of all state distracted driving laws on its website.
“Pedestrians and drivers using cell phones are both impaired and too mentally distracted to fully focus on their surroundings For pedestrians, this distraction can cause them to trip, cross roads unsafely or walk into motionless objects such as street signs, doors or walls,” the report noted.
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