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Walking and Talking Could Prove Fatal for Seniors, Study Finds

by Warren Riddle on November 28, 2009 at 12:02 PM

The highly publicized dangers of cell phones just continue to multiply. While stories about brain tumors, cancer, and oblivious, phone-happy drivers receive the majority of the publicity, various experts also attest that phone activities can lead to finger deformities, tendinitis, stunted language skills, and bad backs.

The latest dangerous phenomenon may seem ridiculous, but according to Live Science, a University of Illinois study has concluded that, at least among senior citizens, walking while talking actually poses a very real and dangerous threat. The study, which was conducted on treadmills, determined that people over the age of 60 are 15-percent more likely to get run over while talking on their phones than when actually paying attention to their surroundings.

The study also involved college students, and concluded that while it took the distracted gabbers longer to cross a virtual street, there was no difference in collision rates. Despite the findings, one shouldn't jump to any conclusions about decreased awareness among senior citizens quite yet. They're just new to this whole sexting thing, and are probably over eager to get in touch with the person on the other end of those raunchy messages. [From: Live Science]

Tags: cellphone, drivingwhiletexting, research, seniors, study, top

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