While the consequences of distracted driving are in the headlines (and deservedly so), pedestrians are not immune from the dangers of texting. “A personal friend almost walked right into a manhole while looking at her phone,” a New York physician told an Associated Press reporter. “Another friend was actually run over by a bike messenger. She wasn’t paying attention, walked into the street and the bike messenger walloped her.” In 2008, according to a university study, about 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 for bumps, sprains, and other injuries sustained while walking and talking. To help keep the sidewalks safer, technology firms are developing applications that reduce distractions — from see-through screens to voice-to-text technology. Link to full story in San Francisco Chronicle.
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