Digital Deadwalkers: Americans Consider Distracted Walking a Serious Issue

Americans Consider Distracted Walking a Serious Issue

According to new research out of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 78 percent of the adults in the United States are under the impression that distracted walking is a “serious” issue, but just 29 percent believe the “dangerous” activity to be a problem for them personally.

The hordes of digital dead walkers–which include those staring at their phone for any number of reasons while walking–out there have contributed to a rise in pedestrian accidents between 2004 and 2010. During this decade long period of time, the number of pedestrians injured while fiddling with a phone has “more than doubled,” Dr. Alan Hilibrand with the AOOS Communications Cabinet noted in a statement.

In regards to the survey data, the academy interprets the response of Americans as an apparent “it’s not me, it’s you” scenario. Thirty-one percent of those surveyed, confident in their ability to multitask, indicated that they were likely to partake in distracted walking regardless of their belief that it’s a dangerous activity. Association spokesperson Alan Hilibrand was quoted by AFP as having said that “the dangers of the ‘digital dead walker’ are growing with more and more pedestrians falling down stairs, tripping over curbs, bumping into other walkers, or stepping into traffic causing a rising number of injuries — from scrapes and bruises to sprains and fractures.”

When the surveyors asked Americans why they walk while they’re distracted, 48 percent indicated that they simply “don’t think about it,” whereas 28 percent said that “they can walk and do other things” and 22 percent responded with being “busy” as an excuse for why they’re inclined “to use their time productively.” Breaking down the numbers, 78 percent of adult Americans believe digital dead walkers are a “serious issue,” but 74 percent claim that it’s not them; it’s someone else – “other people.” In order to mitigate risk of injury, the AAOS offers pedestrians simple advice: be safe and stay alert. A more elaborate explanation covering music volume, jaywalking, texting, phone calls and more. Do you think distracted walking is a serious issue? Are you a distracted walker?