16 Jun Woman Who is Texting While Walking Falls 6ft Down Open Basement

I’m as attached to my phone as anyone could get. It’s the first thing I check when I wake up in the morning and probably the last thing I look at before I go to bed.

I have been known to fall asleep with my trusty device in my hand. I’m the stereotypical millennial obsessed with checking all my apps, emails and messages so having them all in one place – my phone – is pretty great. It’s particularly useful since I can work on the go, but on the other hand, constantly looking downwards at a screen has annoyed a few of my friends.

However, phones don’t just mildly irritate the friends you ignore while scrolling on Instagram – they can have more severe downsides. The WHO lists cancer risks, electromagnetic interference with vital implants like pacemakers and some hearing aids, as well as other health effects like impacts on brain activity as possible side-effects of excessive phone use. Traffic accidents are also recognised as a serious problem linked to phone use, since using such devices while behind the wheel can cause serious distraction – which in turn leads to accidents.

A study conducted by the University of Western Australia found that drivers distracted by their phones were four times more likely to have accidents than those who weren’t. A 2016 survey has also shown that young people aged 18-35 are the most likely age group to be distracted by their phones will driving. Hampshire Police, who are responsible for policing the Hampshire and Isle of Wight counties in South-East England, released the following video which shows just how distracted people can be while driving.

Shocking, right? The reason why you shouldn’t check your phone while driving might seem obvious, but there’s some interesting science behind it which sheds more light on just how dangerous this is.

Yes, the actual act of checking your phone takes your eyes off the road. However, interesting findings from a 2016 study conducted by the University of Utah found that the distraction continues even when you’re no longer looking at your phone. According to this research, it can take nearly half a minute to fully focus again after interacting with a device like a phone. This means your reactions and ability to process information is much slower right after you put your phone away, and this can affect your decision-making while driving.

In a nutshell, phones can be pretty distracting even when we’re not looking at them – and this is not only true for drivers. One woman from New Jersey learned that even when you’re on the sidewalk, being too engrossed in your phone can be pretty dangerous.

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