Is Distracted Walking in NYC as dangerous as Distracted Driving?

Cell phones have become a “must have” device for everybody, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in distracted driving accidents. In fact, many states, including New York, now have laws against using a cell phone while driving. If you are caught texting while operating a vehicle, you could be issued a ticket, fined and have points added to your driver’s license.

Is distracted walking in NYC, or walking while texting or scrolling on your cell phone, also dangerous? Unfortunately, it is. A government report published by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association found that the number of pedestrian-vehicle accidents and pedestrian fatalities overall have increased 15 percent since 2009. There is even a new name for people who constantly text while walking across streets and on sidewalks:“petextrians.”

Distracted walkers in NYC are sometimes hit by cars because they ignore traffic signals, spend too much time crossing a street and do not pay attention to where are they walking. What happens to pedestrians when they focus their concentration on a cell phone is called inattentional blindness, a phenomenon related to other types of visual awareness changes. Since the brain did not evolve to completely focus its attention on one thing or task, texting while walking (or driving) can leave you essentially “blind” to what is happening around you.

Regarding the risk of suffering serious physical injuries, distracted walking in NYC may be considered more dangerous than distracted driving because pedestrians are not protected by a vehicle. When a car or truck hits a “petextrian”, injuries can involve skull fractures, broken limbs and extensive internal damage.

If you have experienced physical injuries due to the fault of a distracted pedestrian or distracted driver accident in NYC, you could receive compensation for your injuries. Get the kind of knowledgeable legal assistance you need to get the justice you deserve by calling pedestrian accident injury attorney William Mattar today and making a free initial consultation appointment.