Re: No shit, sherlock!
The study isn't necessarily to confirm this happens, since I think there's enough news stories of idiots walking into fountains and traffic while texting to confirm it.
Rather, this is exactly the sort of study a health insurance company would love to have.
"In order to qualify for our lowest premiums, you need to go to a clinic for a series of blood and urine tests to confirm that you don't use alcohol or other drugs; are not pregnant (or planning to have a kid, rug rats are expensive to us, so we'll give you a further discount if you get sterilized); and don't have cancer.
"Further, you'll need to install this app on your phone, which utilizes the phone's accelerometer to determine if you're walking and texting, which is known to increase the rate of traumatic injuries over the normal population by 11.2%. Medical bills incurred from texting and walking will result in an increase in premiums."
Lawyers could also exploit this information for plaintiffs and the defense.
"These heartless corporations were only concerned for their shareholders when they put an addictive texting device in my client's hands despite scientific evidence that texting and walking leads to an 11.2% increase in traumatic injuries. They are solely responsible for him walking into traffic because of the distraction of texting..."
"The plaintiff's claims that Google, Verizon, and Samsung are responsible for him walking into traffic while texting are baseless, as it is well-established in scientific studies available to the public that one should not text while walking. Any reasonable adult should know to walk and text responsibly."