You’ve heard about distracted driving, now distracted walking has become a health concern and UK is hoping new signs on campus can remind people to look up.
For years, you’ve been warned to stay off your cell phone while you drive because of an uptick of accidents. Now more people are getting hurt just walking. That’s because we’re constantly walking with our heads down, eyes transfixed on our cell phones. Michelle Lauer, Safety Specialist with the University of Kentucky says distracted walking has become a serious problem on campus. “We have so many modes of transportation, buses, golf carts and people driving cars, bicycles, so it’s really important for a pedestrian when they walk up to a crosswalk to be predictable, put the phone down, look to the left and the right, and try to make eye contact with a driver when you’re crossing a road”
To keep students, staff and visitors safer on the University of Kentucky campus, stickers have been placed on the sidewalks to remind you to look up. Lauer says they’ve been placed in high traffic areas like cross walks, dorms and common gathering areas at UK.
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