Latest menace on our roads? It’s the smartphone zombies
PEDESTRIANS glued to smartphones are putting their own and other road users’ lives at risk, motoring groups claim.
A poll found nearly three-quarters of drivers ‘often’ see walkers veer off the pavement because they are staring at their phones.
The AA, which commissioned the Populus survey of 24,070 members, warned of an increase in the number of ‘zombie pedestrians’ oblivious to traffic as they cross busy roads.
The problem is becoming so serious that the culprits have been dubbed ‘smombies’ – or smartphone zombies.
Government figures show 446 pedestrians were killed in 2014 – a 12 per cent rise on 2013. More than half of AA insurance claims involving a pedestrian include ‘inattention’ as a cause, the group said, adding that listening to music through headphones can also pose a risk.
AA president Edmund King warned drivers and cyclists that they too should avoid being distracted by gadgets. He added: ‘We can’t stop the march of technology but we need to halt the pedestrian, cycle and driver zombies.
‘When on the move our brains have much to take in ... we can’t always concentrate on so many things at once.’