November 20, 2008

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Cell Phone Use Endangers Boneheads

Driving while on the phone is risky, but emergency room cases reveal lesser-known dangers of moving while talking. Steve Mirsky reports

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[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]

The jury is still out on the relationship between cell phone use and brain tumors. But the American Association of Neurological Surgeons has issued a statement to remind people that cell phones present lots of other risks to your brain. Of course, we all know about yapping while driving. A Harvard study finds that 2,600 people die each year in accidents related to cell distraction and 12,000 more are injured. Canadian research shows that you’re four times more likely to be in an accident while on the phone.

But here are some other emergency room cases that show the dangers of talking or texting while on the move: Guy talking on cell phone on an escalator falls backward, lacerating his head, where his brain lives. Guy talking on cell phone walks into street sign, also lacerating his head. Guy texting while bicycling crashes into a tree and suffers head injury. Guy texting walks right into a telephone poll and knocks himself cold. Sir, back away from the phone. It could save your life. Or at least your dignity.

—Steve Mirsky 

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Cell Phone Use Endangers Boneheads