People who type text messages while walking develop a robot-like posture that puts them in danger of toppling over, a study found
The scientists warned that text-walkers are also at risk of wandering in front of traffic and stumbling onto train tracks – and urged pedestrians to stop before type.
Scientists warned that text-walkers are at risk
of wandering in front of traffic and stumbling onto train tracks ¿ and
urged pedestrians to stop before type
They walked the 30ft course three times – once without a mobile phone, once while reading a text message and once while typing a message.
Their gait clearly changed when using their phone – with sending a text having a bigger impact than simply reading one.
Texting caused people to slow down, swerve off course and move their head from side to side.
They also developed a distinctive posture as they strained to keep their eyes on the screen.
University of Queensland researcher Siobhan Schabrun said: ‘We found that people walked with a posture that was robot-like.
‘To keep their eyes steady on the phone, they 'locked' their arms, trunk and head together, all in aid of keeping their phone in their field of vision, so there was less movement between each of their body segments.
Watch out! 8:38am is when gadget-lovers are most likely to walk out in front of a car
‘We know from previous research that moving your body less puts you at greater risk of falling.’
Writing in the journal PLoS ONE , she added that the intense concentration put into writing a text and the side to side movement of the head may also affect balance.
Dr Schabrun said that people need to be educated on the dangers of text-walking.
She said: ‘In recent years, there have been many reports of people involved in traffic accidents, stumbling onto train tracks, into fountains and off piers because they were texting while walking.
‘The number of pedestrian accidents is rising and texting has been blamed.
‘Despite this, few studies have actually looked at the impact of texting on how we walk.
‘Understanding how walking changes when we use mobile phones should help us find strategies to reduce injuries and accidents.
‘For example, education or government regulation.The simple solution is to stop while you are texting – it only takes 30 seconds, and then keep walking once you are done.’
Dr Schabrun favours education but in the US, police Fort Lee, New Jersey, have fined used jay-walking laws to fine dangerous texters.
FORGET AUTO-CORRECT - NEXT UP IS AUTO HUMOUR...
An academic is studying text messages in the aim of making computers funnier.
Hannu Toivonen asked 90 volunteers to rate the wit of 300 text messages that had been altered as if generated using predictive text – the system that finishes off a person’s words as they type a text message.
Although it speeds up messaging, it can lead to confusing, amusing and embarrassing mistakes being made.
For instance, ‘You are my knight in shining armour’ might be autocorrected to ‘You are my might in shining armpit’.
The University of Helsinki study found that the addition of puns and swear words help with humour.
And, as every comedian knows, timing is key, with texts being particularly funny if the mistake occurs at the very end.
It is hoped that the Let Everything Turn Well in Your Wife study will make it easier to programme computers to be humorous.
This auto-humour could be employed when sending people automated reminders to do things.
It could also be used to give people ideas for writing funnier text messages.
In the meantime, Professor Toivonen has come up with a foolproof way of avoiding any misunderstandings.
He said: ‘I’ve switched my autocorrect off.’
Hannu Toivonen asked 90 volunteers to rate the wit of 300 text messages that had been altered as if generated using predictive text – the system that finishes off a person’s words as they type a text message.
Although it speeds up messaging, it can lead to confusing, amusing and embarrassing mistakes being made.
For instance, ‘You are my knight in shining armour’ might be autocorrected to ‘You are my might in shining armpit’.
The University of Helsinki study found that the addition of puns and swear words help with humour.
And, as every comedian knows, timing is key, with texts being particularly funny if the mistake occurs at the very end.
It is hoped that the Let Everything Turn Well in Your Wife study will make it easier to programme computers to be humorous.
This auto-humour could be employed when sending people automated reminders to do things.
It could also be used to give people ideas for writing funnier text messages.
In the meantime, Professor Toivonen has come up with a foolproof way of avoiding any misunderstandings.
He said: ‘I’ve switched my autocorrect off.’
It would like to see primary school children Green Cross Code-style lessons on the dangers of texting while walking. However, the problem is not confined to the young.
The motoring organisation’s president, Edmund King, said: ‘You can walk down any pavement and you’ll get bumped into by someone looking at their iPhone or BlackBerry.
‘Quite often it is businessmen in pinstripes, walking through the City and stepping out into the road without checking because they are checking the price of their shares on a phone.
‘There is quite a serious safety element here because drivers have to expect the unexpected.’
Apparently, 8:38am is the time when gadget-lovers are most likely to walk out in front of a car.
The next most dangerous time of the day is 6:22pm.
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