FPMA Homework Practice #1

Amanda L. P.7
Every year, thousands of roadside pedestrians are injured because theyre looking
at their phones instead of where theyre going. In 2012, 78,000 pedestrians were
injured, the highest number since 2001. Walking deaths have been rising since 2009. In
2012, 4,700 walkers were killed (Source 1 Paragraph 10). These people who are
constantly looking at their phones are not only in danger of getting hit by a car, but also
may suffer from severe back pain. Studies show that looking down at your phone all the
time stresses muscles and causes neck pain. These two things lead to one conclusion:
that the amount of time this generation spends staring at our phones is not healthy.
Many cities are trying to fix the problem of texting pedestrians hurting
themselves, but it is not an easy task. Walkers using their cell phones stroll into traffic.
They crash into trees. They fall off bridges and curbs. They even walk into wet cement
(Source 1 Paragraph 2). All these city governments are trying hard though, and they
might be onto something. Some cities are giving tickets for texting and walking, while
others are slowing down cars in pedestrian filled areas. A few are considering making
special sidewalk lanes for people on their phones. Sadly though, pedestrians still get
injured from texting while walking.
With so many things to do on a single smartphone, its rare to see someone
looking straight ahead. All this staring down at devices is causing a big problem though.
The way we often hold our head when looking at our cell phones is unnatural posture
and causes neck pain. Chris Cornett, an orthopedic surgeon and spine specialist at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Orthopedic Surgery and
Rehabilitation says, People get so focused on these devices that they end up holding
their neck and upper back in abnormal positions for a long period of time; enough that
other people coined the phrase text neck, which is essentially referring to postural
pain (Source 2 Paragraph 22). Many people of all ages are experiencing the symptoms
of text neck, so much so that it may soon become a major epidemic.
Whether it be text neck or not looking where youre going, its clear to see that
long amounts of time spent texting and overuse of electronics may not be as safe as it
seems.