Sunday, November 2, 2014

In the News--Texting changes the way we walk

In the News—Texting changes the way we walk:  walkers swerve and slow down while texting

Scientists looked at 26 healthy adults and compared how their walking changed when they were reading texts and typing texts.  They found that texting had the most dramatic changes because people who text walked slower, did not walk in a straight line and moved their bodies less.  They noticed that people reading texts showed the same findings but to a less extent. 

Researchers also noticed that pedestrians texting or reading on a mobile phone were not paying as much attention to obstacles in their path and traffic. 

I noticed this last week when I was reading a text on my phone while walking to our cafeteria for lunchtime.  It distracted me from my normal behavior of watching what was ahead of me as I was walking.   We can use this information to avoid danger by staying off our phones while walking, especially on public streets and sidewalks.  This information can be found at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140122202209.htm

 

No comments:

Post a Comment