A report by the AA has noted a sharp rise in accidents involving what it calls ‘iPod zombie pedestrians’ – pedestrians whose awareness is impaired while listening to an MP3 player.
According to the report, pedestrian lack of attention could have been a factor in 500 deaths or 26,887 casualties last year. Meanwhile, AA Insurance has also released figures claiming that inattention could be responsible for 17 collisions every day – an increase of five per cent over the course of the last year.
“We can't stop the march of technology but we need to halt the 'iPod pedestrian, cycle and driver zombies'. Whether on two feet, two wheels or four, too many people are suffering from so-called 'iPod oblivion',” said the AA’s president Edmund King.
“When on the move our brains have much to take in and using technological gadgets means that our brains can't always concentrate on so many things at once. This is when we walk into traffic, don't hear the truck or drive cocooned from the outside world.”
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