“A government report released today highlights an unsettling trend: After decades of decline, pedestrian fatalities are once again on the rise. And “petextrians” — people who text while walking — may be partly to blame, according to the report.” (ABC News Report)
We are all guilty of checking Facebook, responding to a text, or Googling while walking down the street. For that matter, you can’t even walk passed a store anymore without getting a text or push notification from the store. And yes, it is true, lawmakers are trying to pass laws in some cities that will fine people if they text and walk others are introducing pedestrian safety programs.
You see, the internet of things and enhanced objects might be making life a little easier but they also might just be making us a little less attentive to our surroundings. As with all good things, there are some negatives. Look at the below infographic, teens are most susceptible.
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Drowning in Emerging Media 
Most of me finds the idea of fining people for texting while walking ridiculous, but a part of me can see why it may not be a bad idea. I do think perhaps we should make sure we’ve got the whole “don’t text and drive” thing nailed down before we move on to other “texting while…” scenarios, however. I still see too many people texting while driving!
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I don’t think I am a petrexian, but I do text with both hands on the keyboard (i.e. thumbs) if I am walking (which seems to be odd, but my small hands limit me)! According to Caba (2014), texting not only affects teens’ abilities to walk or bump into others, but is actually changing petextrian’s postures. This affect on posture and balance is changing lives for the worse, ” A recent study out of Ohio State University found that 1,500 emergency room hospitalizations in the U.S. were caused by cell phone use while walking.
Injuries taken from a national database tracking emergency room visits from 2004 to 2010, included a pedestrian who was hit by a car while talking on their cell phone (resulting in a sprained elbow and spine), a man who lacerated his brow after walking into a pole, and a boy who bruised his chest after falling a few feet off of a bridge” (Caba, 2014).
References
Caba, J. (2014, January 22). Texting while walking leads to poor posture and trouble balancing. Retrieved from http://www.medicaldaily.com/texting-while-walking-leads-poor-posture-and-trouble-balance-time-put-down-smartphone-267674
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