Reported By:
| Edited By: |Source: ANI |Updated: Nov 21, 2013, 01:44 PM IST
Listening to music on iPods or mobile phones while walking, jogging, or biking has its own set of perils, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Statistics have revealed that distracted exercising may come with risks similar to those of distracted driving, which is evident from the fact that for the first time in four years, pedestrian deaths have risen.
According to Diana Deutsch, a psychologist at the University of California at San Diego, music isn't distracting only because it siphons off your ability to hear other noises like a car or — super scary — an attacker approaching.
"Music floods the brain and takes over your thought processes," ABC News quoted her as saying. "You concentrate on the lyrics, or the music evokes certain memories or sends you into a daydream."
Some scientists speculate that music may even have the power to dampen your sight.
Deutsch warned: “the tempo can interfere with the rate at which your brain perceives images that are passing by you, which could trip you up.”
Keeping all this in view, New York lawmakers are considering to draft a legislation that would make it illegal for walkers or joggers to use an electronic device while crossing the street.
The measures, if passed in Oregon and Virginia would fine bicyclists as much as $90 for riding under the influence of technology.
