Most people can’t Text and Walk much less Drive!!!
You’ve probably heard about the dangers of texting while driving, but there’s another activity that doesn’t appear to “jibe” with texting: walking.
When people are texting, they’re not looking where they’re walking: their eyes are transfixed on their cell phones. (Add in listening to music at the same time, and they may be completely oblivious to their surroundings.) Unfortunately, a number of pedestrians have been struck and injured by cars while texting. Others have fallen off curbs, walked into moving buses, or inadvertently taken a dip in a fountain.
There are no laws prohibiting texting while walking….yet. However, lawmakers in Arkansas and New York have proposed legislation to ban using cell phones, iPods, and other gadgets while crossing the street.
Multitasking doesn’t mean doing two things at once. In actuality, the brain is switching from one task to another very rapidly. The brain has a limited capacity to take in information; every switch means it’s sacrificing something for each given task, including information to keep you and others safe.
A legal application called “contributory negligence” may also enter the picture – a pedestrian may be partially responsible for a percentage of their own injuries in a pedestrian-vehicle accident if they did anything that jeopardized their own safety (e.g., texting). In a few states, if any percentage was attributed to the pedestrian, they have zero chance of winning a lawsuit. In other states, if a person is deemed to be contributorily negligent to the tune of 20 percent, they can recover 80 percent of the total amount awarded.
Technology is amazing, but when it overrides common sense and respect for others, the toll can be devastating.
