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New survey shows distracted walking poses "serious" problem for Americans

Xinhua, December 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Americans are "overly confident" in their ability to multitasking such as using mobile phones and walking at the same time, a characteristic that has posed a challenge to personal safety, a new survey showed.

That was learned from the survey, whose result was released by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Wednesday. The survey featuring distracted walking, involved more than 2,000 respondents nationally and another 4,000 in select urban areas.

Researchers found through the survey that more than three quarters (78 percent) of U.S. adults believe that distracted walking is a "serious" issue, but only 29 percent admit doing so themselves.

While many believe it is "embarrassing in a silly way" and feel it is "dangerous" (46 percent), 31 percent of the respondents say distracted walking is "something I'm likely to do" and 22 percent think distracted walking is "funny," according to the study conducted by an independent market research firm called Ipsos Public Affairs during October 2015.

When asked why they walk distracted, 48 percent of the respondents say "they just don't think about it," 28 percent feel "they can walk and do other things," and 22 percent "are busy and want to use their time productively."

The study also showed that nearly four out of 10 Americans say they have personally witnessed a distracted walking incident, but more than a quarter (26 percent) say they have been in an incident themselves.

Overall, Americans show a sense of "it's not me, it's you" in their attitude towards distracted walking, which involves talking on the phone, engaging in conversation, listening to music or using a smartphone, said the study.

Additionally, 500 people were surveyed in eight American markets: New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Among these eight markets, New York City residents are most likely to view distracted walking as a serious issue (86 percent), but New Yorkers are also more likely to say they personally walk distracted (39 percent) than walkers living in the other cities.

"Today, the dangers of the 'digital deadwalker' are growing with more and more pedestrians falling down stairs, tripping over curbs, bumping into other walkers, or stepping into traffic causing a rising number of injuries -- from scrapes and bruises to sprains and fractures," Alan Hilibrand, a spokesperson from the AAOS, said in a statement.

Hilibrand cited a 2013 study appearing in the journal Accident, Analysis & Prevention that emergency department hospital visits for injuries involving distracted pedestrians on cell phones more than doubled between 2004 and 2010 in the United States.

"Many of us simply need to force ourselves to set down our devices and focus on what's in front of and around us," he said. "This will ensure that we safely arrive at our destination, during this busy holiday season and throughout the year." Endit