The Dangers of Walking and Talking on Your Phone

The Dangers of Walking and Talking on Your Phone

Since the invention of cell phones, people have begun using their extra walking time as a chance to catch up and have a nice conversation with a friend or loved one or rummage through their social media accounts to stay entertained. This is incredibly common in the Beverly Hills area! Even if you simply look out to the streets at pedestrians walking around, about 90% of them are on their cell phones rather than interacting with other people around them. Of course it makes sense from a time-management perspective. You can multitask by walking while talking, texting, emailing, going on Instagram or tweeting, however, these distractions can cause unfortunate and catastrophic incidents to take place.In fact, these sort of catastrophic accidents happen more often than you’d think. Just last year, a terrible cell phone related pedestrian accident occurred. Brittany Silva, an 18 year old was tragically struck and killed by an Amtrak train in the San Leandro area. Witnesses tried to warn her about the approaching train, however, she was distracted and did not notice their warnings. Witnesses also say she had her headphones in, the likely cause of why she was distracted from everyone and everything around her.Brittany’s tragic death is now used as a cautionary tale for the hundreds of thousands of people who multitask by walking and talking/listening to music or are in anyway distracted from their environment. Just like being on your phone while driving is dangerous, so is being on your phone while walking around outside as a pedestrian. Distractions from your phone can render you completely unaware of your dangerous surroundings. You may not hear a speeding car, train, or sudden traffic jam up ahead. It’s time to be smart and be aware of what’s going on around you. Be proactive and be alert. Although you may think of it as sacrificing a few short minutes of entertainment, you could save your life or prevent someone around you from being injured.