Put down your phone - "Disconnect to connect" (video)

Here is a widely shared commercial from Thailand that is a part of a series of related videos on YouTube http://buff.ly/T8EoO8:

Distracted Walking: Using a Cell Phone and Walking Is Risky

From the NYTimes:

"Distracted driving has gained much attention lately because of the inflated crash risk posed by drivers using cellphones to talk and text.

But phones aren't just distracting drivers; they make pedestrians inattentive too.

Distracted walking combines a pedestrian, an electronic device and an unseen crack in the sidewalk, the pole of a stop sign, a toy left on the living room floor or a parked (or sometimes moving) car.

Examples include a 16-year-old boy who walked into a telephone pole while texting and suffered a concussion; a 28-year-old man who tripped and fractured a finger on the hand gripping his cellphone; and a 68-year-old man who fell off the porch while talking on a cellphone, spraining a thumb and an ankle and causing dizziness."





References:
Forget Gum. Walking and Using Phone Is Risky. NYTimes.
Video: Stop texting while driving. Terrifying. All drivers should watch this.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary (video).

Distracted Walking Featured in the New Windows Phone Ads

Distracted driving has gained much attention lately because of the inflated crash risk posed by drivers using cellphones to talk and text. But phones aren't just distracting drivers; they make pedestrians inattentive too.

Distracted walking combines a pedestrian, an electronic device and an unseen crack in the sidewalk, the pole of a stop sign, a toy left on the living room floor or a parked (or sometimes moving) car.

There are plenty of examples of the dangers of distracted walking in the two videos embedded in this page. These are also examples of "distracted life" in general:



References:
Forget Gum. Walking and Using Phone Is Risky. NYTimes.
Video: Stop texting while driving. Terrifying. All drivers should watch this.

5 ways your cell phone can save your life

From CNN:

You can use apps and other tools to turn your cell phone into a safety tool:

1. Program your cell phone so people can find you
2. Put your "in case of emergency" contact into your cell phone
3. Put your medical information on your cell phone
4. Get an app that teaches you first aid and CPR
5. Find help nearby

References:

Five ways your cell phone can save you. CNN.