The act of walking down a street should be pretty simple, right? These days, many people don’t seem to be paying attention to where they’re walking due to being preoccupied with their cell phones. This has resulted in a new phenomenon: dist
The act of walking down a street is pretty simple, right? Or so you'd think. But these days,
nobody seems to be paying attention to what they're doing, especially when they’re using their cell phone.
We found many examples of distracted walkers online. In a Youtube video, one guy was so distracted he walked into a wall.
In another you can see a commuter falling off a train platform while talking on the phone. .
And, you couldn't be so distracted while texting that you would miss a bear in front of you. That’s what happened to one guy in California while he was texting his boss.
He told INSIDE EDITION’s Lisa Guerrero, “I looked up, I was shocked and I ran for my life.”
INSIDE EDITION’s I-Squad took their cameras to the streets of New York City and found hardly anyone paying attention as they criss-cross the street.
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One guy was texting away while we were just inches away taping him.
Guerrero asked him, “Have you ever actually bumped into someone as you were texting?”
“Oh my gosh, it happened today and it happens to me everyday,” he said.
When Guerrero saw another guy texting as he crossed the street, she asked, “Sir, we noticed that you are walking across the street and you are on the phone is that a very safe thing to do?”
“No, it's not,” he responded.
Another guy INSIDE EDITION filmed turned out to be, of all things, an eye doctor. You would think he'd know better.
“So, would you recommend to your patients that they put down their phones while they walk across?” She asked.
“Yes. Do as I say, not as I do,” he replied.
Gwendolyn Ward’s daughter, Christina, was on her way to school, crossing this street in Montgomery County, Maryland, when she was struck and killed by a motorist.
A witness said Christina was "looking down at her cell phone" while she was crossing the street.
“No one should suffer like this. Pay attention,” warned Gwendolyn. “Put the phone down, whatever is on that phone is not important.”
As a result of Christina’s death her school has gone on a campaign to warn students about the dangers of distracted walking. Startling posters of students with tire marks across their faces are now plastered on the walls to remind everyone to be alert while crossing the street.
Now, police are cracking down on distracted walkers not far from where Christina was killed.
Inside Edition observed the Montgomery County Maryland Police department as they cited 35 jay walkers in a two hour period and issued them a $50 ticket. Most of them were distracted while they crossed the street. Along with the ticket they also were given a stern warning about the dangers of distracted walking.
A police officer told one person who was wearing headphones as he crossed the street, “You are probably listening to some really cool music, but that could be hazardous especially when you cross the street illegal.”
