I Am Fascinated By Human Behavior

Texting and Walking...

Everyone is aware of the dangers of using your phone (or other hand-held device) while driving. Have you ever considered the potential perils of doing so while engaging in a "simple" task like walking?

Let's take a look...

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KQoYiCAhZE]

This phenomenon is what psychologists call inattentional blindness - also known as perceptual blindness or failure of awareness. It occurs when a person fails to perceive an unexpected stimulus that is in plain sight.

Pedestrians have been seriously injured and even killed by distracted walking. Many cities have started issuing tickets to people who look down to use a hand-held device while crossing the street. Honolulu recently became the first major city in the U.S. to do so.

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bijouxbroussard · F

There has actually been legislation here against “texting while walking”, too. It boggles the mind that basic common sense (ie, watching where one is [b]going[/b]) would actually have to be made a [b]law[/b] to try and keep adults from accidentally killing themselves. 😒

sciguy18 · M

@bijouxbroussard In 2012, one of the towns here passed a law banning texting (or looking down at any hand-held device) while crossing the street. You are right though. Who would think they would need laws to protect you from walking...