Yet another hazard of cellphone use you need to pay attention to

Most of us have the good sense not to fiddle with our cellphones while driving – unless we’re using one of those hands-free options. But what about when you’re out for a stroll?

It turns out that using these devices while on two feet is just as distracting, perhaps sometimes even more so, than using them when steering four wheels.

According to the results of a new study, pedestrians with cellphones represent a relatively new kind of hazard on the roads and sidewalks — one that’s similar to being “under the influence” of alcoholic beverages.

So, here’s why you never want to answer that call or use your phone while you’re walking… as well as what you have to look out for when you’re driving!

A hazard to navigation

No matter what your friend who does 10 things at once insists, we humans really can’t multitask. What we’re actually doing is switching our attention from one job to another.

That may work out fine if you’re doing the dishes and watching TV, but on other occasions, it can lead to disaster!

As Dr. Robert Glatter, an ER physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, puts it, “Your brain can’t do two things well at once, so one task suffers.”

And when the “task” that’s suffering is navigating down a sidewalk or crossing the street, you may end up in big trouble.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver found out that using your cellphone while out walking does a lot more than divert your attention away from crossing a street safely. It can also “drastically alter” your balance and coordination.

The Canadian researchers videotaped 357 pedestrians crossing at several busy four-way intersections, over a third of whom were either texting or talking on their phones.

Of that phone-distracted group, the ones texting took short, fast steps, while the ones talking took longer, slower steps.

But aside from their gait, the phone users appeared almost drunk, with many weaving and stumbling. They also tended to cross the street at a much slower pace than other pedestrians, making it more likely that they would get caught up in oncoming traffic when the light changed.

While it sure seems that we should be able to talk and walk at the same time (as we do when walking with a friend, for example), talking on a phone is a whole different ball of wax. Experts explain it as the brain engaging in internal imagery when chatting it up on a phone. In other words, you’re subconsciously preoccupied with creating a “visual” of your conversation.

And that can be enough to have you walk right into a sign, pole, or pothole.

But even just glancing at your email while walking is enough to throw you off course.

A study done a number of years ago by New York’s Stony Brook University found that it’s practically impossible to walk safely while doing anything on your phone. Over 60 percent of the people studied couldn’t maintain a normal gait while using these devices.

It’s such a problem that “distracted walking” is now against the law in locales ranging from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Montclair, California, and Stamford, Connecticut. If an officer observes you even glancing down at anything with a screen while crossing the street in those communities – unless you’re calling 911 – he’ll give you a ticket and a fine.

When Honolulu passed its ordinance last year, the mayor commented that his city has the distinction of having more distracted pedestrians – especially seniors — being hit in crosswalks than any other location in the country.

Of course, the fix is simple: When you’re walking, put away the phone! If you do have to answer a call or check a message, do the same thing you would do if you were driving: pull over.

But even if you turn your phone completely off while you’re in the driver’s seat, that doesn’t mean you’re perfectly safe.

Because you’ve got to be especially on guard for these preoccupied pedestrians when you’re behind the wheel.

Based on these latest findings, you can’t expect that guy gazing down at his phone to walk in a straight line… or even to realize there’s a car coming toward him.

And another thing this research tells us is that using smartphones can make us pretty dumb!

“Cellphone use puts pedestrians off-balance” Dennis Thompson, August 14, 2018, HealthDay, consumer.healthday.com