Study: Text and walk? Won’t walk straight

TAMPA - Researchers at Stony Brook University in New York recently found out texting and walking at the same time will affect how you walk.

This isn’t as silly as it might seem.

Our brains are capable of allowing us to walk in a straight line, even when we can’t see, using a technique called ‘working memory’.

But what the researchers found is that ‘working memory’ does not work when someone is texting and walking.

Researchers found those texting and walking veered off course significantly (61 percent) and walked slower (33 percent).

The walking difficulties add to the other obvious problem with texting and walking: you might accidentally walk into something.

On Wednesday, ABC Action News profiled an application for your phone called Type ‘N Walk that allows you to text while providing you a camera view of what is ahead of you, in the hopes of preventing crashing into obstacles.

Watch in the player above.