How Dangerous Is It to Use Your Cellphone While Walking?

We’ve all been warned about the dangers of using our cell phones while driving. But did you know phone usage when you’re simply walking can make you accident-prone, too? Scientists at Stony Brook University in New York conducted experiments with 33 male and female adults in their 20s and discovered texters in particular had a tough time walking an expeditious straight line between two points. First, the volunteers walked 30 feet away while wearing a hood that blocked much of their vision. This was repeated three times, with gaits and other elements of walking measured. Although their vision was shielded and they couldn’t see the floor or their intended target, all the subjects could were easily able to reach the target using their working memories. In the next set of experiments a week later, the volunteers were split into three groups: one that performed the hooded-walk exactly as before, one that did it with the hood while talking on a cellphone, and one that did it with the hood while texting and able to see the cellphone clearly. The results showed cellphone activity clearly interfered with the subjects’ working memory. The first group performed the test as easily as they [...]

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