We’ve all heard the warnings about the dangers of texting while driving. That’s why it’s against the law in a number of states, including Tennessee.
However, we’ve all seen pedestrians walking along the sidewalk and even crossing the street with their eyes on their phones instead of their surroundings. Last year, Honolulu implemented a law that made it illegal for a person to be looking at his or her phone while crossing the street. Of course, such laws aren’t the norm. People throughout the U.S. and around the world continue to walk and text. They assume they can do both without a problem. Most people can’t. Sixty percent of people in one study were unable to walk in a straight line while texting.
People commonly believe they can multi-task. However, when they’re doing two things at once, their brain is actually switching back and forth between the two tasks. If you’re walking and texting, that means you’re not fully focused on where you’re walking.
One television journalist decided to find out exactly what happens to the brain while a person is walking and looking at a phone simultaneously. A neuroscientist monitored his brain waves using an EEG headset while he walked without looking at his phone and then again as he walked while texting.
The scan showed that the reporter’s brainwaves were normal when he was walking without his phone. That’s because he was focused only on one task. However, when he tried to text while he was walking, his brain became “completely overloaded,” according to the doctor.
Although it’s not known how many of the almost 6,000 pedestrians who lost their lives last year in this country were texting at the time, law enforcement agencies are becoming increasingly concerned about the problem. Just as when you’re driving a car, a split second of distraction from your surroundings when you’re crossing the street on foot can have tragic consequences.
Pedestrians almost always fare worse than drivers when the two collide. Regardless of the circumstances, if you were injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be facing large medical bills, lost wages and potentially years of rehabilitation. It’s essential to explore your legal options for seeking compensation from the driver.
Source: TODAY, “This is your brain on texting — and why you shouldn’t walk at the same time,” Jeff Rossen and Conor Ferguson, March 23, 2018
