Do Not Go or Write If You Do Not Want to Interfere
As you walk down a crowded street, you can’t help but notice that people are paying more attention to the phone in front of their face than the rapidly approaching dog droppings on the sidewalk.
In the PLOS One study, researchers at the University of England Ruskin found that people moved more slowly and avoided obstacles longer when using their smartphones while walking. The deeper the interaction, the slower people walked.
To test the theory, the researchers built a walkway with two obstacles: Styrofoam to walk over and a stepped box to walk over. Participants were equipped with eye tracking equipment and motion sensors. They walked along the road several times without a phone, talking on the phone, reading a text message and answering one of them.
Participants who texted on their phones not only had a shorter gait than their non-phone counterparts, they walked much slower. Trials in which participants typed on a smartphone took 68% longer than trials without a phone. What’s more, the researchers found that participants who pee while walking lifted their legs higher and slower to avoid obstacles, 38% slower than when tested without a phone.
The adaptation of gait to cope with changes in surface height was consistent with participants adopting an increasingly cautious walking strategy that can help reduce the risk of tripping / falling.
Taking a calmer walk can help you stay on your feet and give you more time to look around your surroundings, but the evidence is not concrete. None of the study participants fell, and the study provides no direct evidence that mobile phone use increases the number of pedestrian-related accidents.
The researchers did postulate that pedestrian accidents could be classified as “tasks requiring increased attention and thus increased demands on working memory; for example … crossing the road when you need to take action against oncoming hazards (other pedestrians or cars) moving at different speeds, or when telephone communication becomes more demanding, such as a particularly interesting / important conversation. ” In short, put your phone away when crossing the street.
This makes sense given the rise in pedestrian accidents. In 2010, “more than 1,500 pedestrians visited hospitals in the United States because they tripped, fell, or bumped into something” while using their smartphone.
If you’re about to get caught up in a serious text message, just step aside, knock one out, and keep going. Not only will you make it faster, but for heaven’s sake, you won’t get out into the middle of the damned street.