Perhaps lawmakers will one day propose that pedestrians will also have to go hands-free while using their phones.
According to a new study out of the University of Calgary, having your face buried in your screen while walking is far more dangerous than just listening to music or even taking a call while on foot.
The researchers found that people who were texting had a higher risk of near misses by failing to look both ways while crossing the street. Talking on the phone only created a slight increase, while jamming out showed no impact.
Publishing their results in the journal Injury Prevention, the authors noted, “Given the ubiquity of smartphones, social media, apps, digital video and streaming music, which has infiltrated most aspects of daily life, distracted walking and street crossing will be a road safety issue for the foreseeable future.”