Aug 3, 2008 8:30 pm US/Eastern
Texting While Walking Becoming More Dangerous
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
A new warning is out from emergency room doctors: don't text and walk.
Gigi Barnett reports doctors are seeing the number of texting-related injuries increase.
Many cell phone users have mastered walking and talking or doing just about anything on the phone, but emergency room doctors say they're seeing the number of cell phone injuries spike nationwide.
The culprit is fingertip texting.
"A lot of people are getting facial injuries, chin lacerations, even getting poked in the eye and having eye injuries," said Dr. Leigh Vinocur.
Vinocur is a spokeswoman with the American College of Emergency Physicians. This week, the group issued a nationwide alert to cell phone users.
Be careful while texting, especially people who walk and text.
"What we're seeing is texting injures from people walking. They are stepping off curbs, falling into cracks and falling down," said Vinocur.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't keep track of how many people nationwide are injured because they're texting and multi-tasking, but doctors say they're keeping an eye on it. They're seeing more and more serious injuries coming into the emergency room simply because people are texting
"It's quick, you don't have to pick up the phone and talk for five or 10 minutes. You can just do it real quick," said Nicholas Surdyka.
Doctors say that's part of the danger. It's so quick.
Doctors say texting that distracts from the road, a stove or even foot traffic is dangerous.
"Get out of the path of the foot traffic, walk to the side, stop and text your message," said Vinocur.
While most cell phone injuries involve scrapes, cuts and sprains, doctors report at least two people were killed last year while texting and crossing the street.
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