When I was a kid the joke was always, “Can’t you walk and chew gum at the same time?” Times have changed. Social media is here to stay. For my children’s generation the joke is more like, “Can’t you walk and Tweet at the same time?” Apparently for a lot of people the answer is “No.” In the last ten years the average number of people injured or killed as pedestrians has increased 4 times its previous rate. The main reasons are people are busy texting or chatting or Skyping or Tweeting or updating Facebook and not paying attention to where they are going. There are videos all the time on the internet of someone falling because they were busy on their phone. There is a growing movement in this country to keep people off their phones while driving but not many realize the danger of simply walking. Some of my worst injuries happened when I was just walking and paying attention. (They involved ice) I can’t imagine what would have happened if I were texting at that time. I know it sounds over the top to say, “Don’t Tweet and walk” or “Don’t text and walk” but this is becoming a real problem. People are walking in front of cars or falling in awkward places and being badly hurt. If it seems like I’m on a soap box, I don’t want to be. People love their phones. The data plans for my family keep getting bigger and bigger. There is just so much you can you can use them for; and that’s great. Social media is useful, fun and here to stay. For me it is a way to connect with my readers. For others it’s just a way to keep up on the latest gossip. For your own safety, though, wait until you are standing still and out of the way before diving into the thumb exercise machine. All it takes is one accident for you to wish you had waited. You may not be driving a car but your body has no airbags to protect you either.
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