“What’s the matter, can’t walk and chew gum at the same time?”
Jokes like these tend to deemphasize the importance of paying attention while walking, as if walking is something that is not dangerous or complex enough to warrant paying any attention to it at all. For most of us, the act of walking is a no-brainer. Our conscious mind does not decide which muscles to use when making a step, so the art of walking becomes unappreciated.
To put the act of walking in perspective, one can take a lesson from Honda. For over a decade, Honda has been perfecting the mechanics involved in creating a two-legged autonomous machine that was able to walk without falling or damaging itself or things around it. The amount of calculations involved in something as simple as placing one foot in front of the other would take days to consciously consider, weigh, and determine possible successful approaches to taking one step.
When we look at the complexities of walking in the context of programming a machine to mimic it, we find that it is pretty amazing that any of us can walk on two legs at all. If we were to walk in the most efficient and joint-healthy way, our stride would appear somewhat comical. Unlike machines, weight distribution on humans for standardized center of gravity is not standard, nor are individual bone and joint structures uniform, making two-legged walking an overlooked modern marvel.
While it might be acceptable to say that walking and chewing gum should be a fairly safe practice, walking and using a cell phone is not a good idea. Sure, how could such a tiny and benign device cause harm to someone while walking? It’s not like operating a motor vehicle where you have to maintain control and focus, or is it?
Well, according the the Congressional Accountability Office of Compliance of the USA, there are definitely incidents where health or life could have been preserved, had the pedestrian simply refrained from using their mobile device. A report by the Office of Compliance identifies the problem of “inattention blindness” caused when preoccupied with a conversation.
Due to “inattention blindness” one may see obstacles, but fail to actually notice or recognize what it is because the brain is preoccupied with other thought processes. Anyone who has ever walked while typing should be able to relate to the feeling in one way or another.
“Inattention blindness” has led to an increase in avoidable pedestrian harm. Texting on a cell phone has led to people being struck by vehicles after blindly stepping into the street, fall in open sewers, trip, or bump into stationary or dangerous objects, causing serious injury or sometimes, death.
Using a cell phone or mobile device while walking is like driving with eyes shut. The body continues to move without navigational input from the person, and that is why it is important to remain focused, even when walking.
It is a different world today than it was 20 years ago. Instant, wireless, global communication may be advantageous, but there are certain safety aspects to telecommunications that weren’t explored or considered when communications weren’t portable.
In the fast-paced, always-on world we live in today, it is easy to get distracted with our electronics, and it’s often difficult to sit down and make time for our conversations like we used to. There is always something going on. There are always emails to check, employees to manage, kids to check up on, phone calls to make, mobile monitoring logs to look after, text messages coming in, maps to look up, topics to research, all kinds of things that require us to virtually operate in many places at once.
The safest and most responsible approach: Don’t forget where you are in reality, physically. In most instances, your health will not be directly threatened by not paying attention to your cell phone. While the virtual world allows for a fast and reliable gateway to the real world, it is important to remain alert in your immediate physical environment to safeguard your own physical well-being.
Also, look out for pedestrians or drivers who are using their phones. You now know that they may not be paying attention and may soon be heading into a trap of their own making. Hopefully, their poor choice doesn’t interfere with your day.