By now, there are countless videos of people walking into something because they are texting. Take this gem of a woman walking, texting and then falling into a fountain.
But now, a recent study published in the journal Injury Prevention has taken the humor out of the situation. It monitored more than 1,000 walkers at 20 different intersections in Seattle and found texters took 18 percent longer to cross the street. Additionally, the texters were nearly four times more likely to ignore lights, cross mid-intersection or fail to look both ways before stepping off the curb.
Researchers at Stony Brook University have also confirmed performing a dual-task, such as talking or texting with a cell phone while walking, may interfere with working memory and result in walking errors.
And consider this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the next 24 hours, 324 people will be treated in an emergency department for pedestrian-related injuries.
Wait to send the message.