Huffington Magazine Issue 68 | Page 33

Voices DR. ROCK POSITANO GETTY IMAGES/CAIAIMAGE ‘Distracted Walking’ Is No Laughing Matter H EALTH CARE PROVIDERS are seeing an increase in “walking while texting” accidents, with terrible injuries undermining the “viral” explosion of tragi-comic trips, pratfalls, and collisions. “Distracted walking” is a matter of concern to public health professionals, slowly joining “distracted driving” as a matter of urgent national attention. ¶ The evidence is indeed slowly gathering, but a good indication of the severity of the growing problem is the almost constant “doubling” of the incidents from one year to the next: This is a geometric progression that amounts HUFFINGTON 09.29.13