mobileu.co.uk

'Distracting' mobile phones posing increasing human danger

The prevalence of the mobile phone in modern life is putting users lives at risks, after recent research revealed that at least one in ten people have suffered some kind of injury as a result of using their mobile phone.

Texting while walking has caused a dramatic rise in the number of people admitted to hospital as a result of tripping, falling, colliding with a solid object, or being involved in a road accident while using a mobile phone.

Dr Joanna Lumsden, technology expert at Brimingham's Aston University, said that the electronic devices were causing people to be distracted and leaving them susceptible to all sorts of injuries.

"Accident and emergency departments have seen more and more admissions as a result of texting accidents," said Dr Lumsden, from Aston University in Birmingham, pointing to the statistic that, in London alone, two teenage pedestrians are killed every day as a result of being distracted and not noticing traffic.

Dr Lumsden said people walking and texting could pose hazardous to both themselves and others: "What you see is that people will slow down and grind to a halt. That's because they cannot cope with the cognitive load of walking and texting at the same time."

She added that the solution was simple: "The short answer is don't walk and text."