Have you had a texting-while-walking incident or have you seen one — what happened? And what’s your take on those who sit in a parking spot and text? Let us know by calling the WTOP Talkback line at 1-877-222-1035. You can also leave comments in this story, chat with us on Twitter using #WTOPtalkback, or leave a comment on the WTOP Facebook page.
Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Message to text walkers: Look where ur going.
Texting and driving usually steals the spotlight, but texting while walking plays a role in serious injuries, awkward run-ins and embarrassing online fodder.
The below video featuring a woman who falls into a fountain while texting became an Internet sensation earlier this year:
“I have bumped into lampposts and even trees at times — and walls of course — because I’m not looking where I’m going,” says a woman named Arushi, who works around Farragut North in D.C.
“So yes, I have quite a few bruises from when I text-walk,” she says, also noting she cut her elbow and bled once.
It generally doesn’t take long at a busy intersection to see a text-walking gaffe.
“I’m always on a city street, and I always hit a sign somehow,” says Angelica, who only offered her first name.
“It’s always startling,” she says.
In case you’re wondering what happened to that woman who fell into the fountain, watch this video of Cathy Cruz Marrero explaining what happened:
A less hazardous — but possibly more annoying — cellphone-related issue is texting while parking.
Safety advocates tell The New York Times it may be a positive sign that people are actually trying to avoid texting while driving.
But firing off a last-minute text or phone call before leaving that parking space may cause the occasional horn honk or obscene gesture from someone trying to take that space.
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