They are everywhere and they are causing chaos and potential danger wherever they go. They are the cell phone zombies. People who are so addicted to their cell phones that what is on their tiny screen is far more important than actually noticing where they are. Such as crossing streets at busy intersections.
This has become so severe a problem in Europe, and elsewhere, claims a new research study, that many cities have begun taking preventative measures to try and keep these addicted zombies safer and to minimize the potential harm they may cause to those around them.
The DEKRA Research Group of Stuttgart, Germany has recently released their findings with regard to these cell phone zombies behavior in major European cities and how their behavior as pedestrians in these cites have begun to cause such havoc that the governments in many of the cities and countries have been taking steps to counteract this unconscious behavior.
Some statistics released by the DEKRA Research Group
The study consisted of the group studying the behavior of over 14,000 cell phone addicted pedestrians in six different cities in Europe. They initially found that one out of every six pedestrians with a cell phone were looking at their phones, texting, or talking while they crossed the street. The rest kept shifting their attention from their phones to the other side of the street.
Stockholm, Sweden came in with the most zombies as nearly 25% of the cell phone users who crossed streets there had their attention totally focused on their phones. The German government has recently released statistics that say around 10% of all traffic accidents in the country are caused by some sort of pedestrian behavior and more than half of the accidents are caused by pedestrians who have their heads down and eyes glued to their cell phones.
DEKRA observed such behavior as a group of young people who actually stopped walking in the middle of an intersection to huddle together to text on their phones. They actually crashed into someone on a bicycle. In another incident, in Stockholm, the researchers saw a young girl actually stop walking across a busy city street to start texting. She was nearly hit by an oncoming bus but the driver managed to stop just a mere few feet from her.
Street level warning lights in Augsburg, Germany.
Last year, German teenagers and twenty-somethings voted “Smombie” (smart phone zombie) as the coolest and hippest word of the year. It seems they have taken pride in their addiction.
Many cities, like Augsburg, Germany have begun installing warning lights on the streets that are on the ground so that they might actually be seen by the cell phone zombies as they are walking with their heads down. Sydney, Australia plans on installing them in its city streets before the end of the year.
PHOTO CREDITS: Pixabay, International Business Times, Thelocal.de