馬路上的“行走短信族”

邊看手機邊走路，結果撞到電線桿上了，或者踩空了樓梯，或者撞上了對面來的行人......這樣的情況，每天都在發生。可是，人們似乎并沒有意識到這種行為的危險性，依然在走路時低頭看手機，不看路。

There's a new creature roaming the streets: the petextrian, or texting pedestrian.
大街上游蕩著一個新的群族：行走短信族，也就是邊走邊發短信的行人。

You know him by his hunched-over posture, staring at a blazing screen while weaving down the street. Sometimes his gait slows, sometimes speeds up. He almost runs into a street sign here or trips on a curb there.
頸背前弓，一邊在街道穿行，一邊緊盯著屏幕。凡是這樣姿勢的人，都是行走短信族。他們的步伐偶爾會減緩，有時又會加快。有時會差點撞到路牌，有時又會撞到旁邊的馬路牙子。

He doesn't look scary, but he might present a danger – both to himself and others.
他們自己并不覺得有什么可怕，但其實，他們的行為對自己和他人都有潛在危險。

A study conducted at the University of Buffalo last year found that distracted walking now accounts for more injuries per mile than distracted driving.
紐約州立大學布法羅分校去年的一項研究顯示，走路時分神導致的傷者平均數量高于開車分神導致的傷者。

To help combat this dangerous trend, the AAOS suggests walking and using the phone only when absolutely necessary. If you do have headphones in, keep the volume low enough so you can still hear ambient noise around you. Also, if you need to make a call or send a text, move out of the flow of pedestrian traffic.
為了抵制這種危險的行為，美國骨科醫師學會建議，除非必要，不要在走路時使用手機。如果走路用手機時戴著耳機，將音量調低，讓自己能夠聽到周遭的聲音。另外，如果你需要打電話或發送短信，請躲開人流。

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen）