News Centre

The public has been warned about the hazards of listening to an iPod whilst out and about on busy streets around the UK.

The AA has even coined a new phrase – ‘iPod oblivion’ – which affects those listening to music on an MP3 player or texting on their mobile phone, turning them into ‘zombies’ and can prove to be lethal.

According to the organisation, joggers and pedestrians listening to music on such a device enter a trance, do not pay attention to their environment and cannot hear traffic. Mobile phone users who send or read text messages whilst they are walking are afflicted with a similar lack of awareness.

The explosion in the popularity of MP3 players and Smartphones has also been responsible for a surge in the demand for gadget insurance.

The AA estimates that a lack of focus due to people using these devices could be responsible for up to 17 collisions per day across the UK, which represents a 5 per cent increase on similar accidents when compared to last year. Furthermore, it claims that of the 27,000 pedestrian deaths last year, 500 may be attributable to these circumstances.

It is not only pedestrians who are becoming increasingly involved in such accidents. Cyclists and motorists who wear MP3 players or have the car stereos playing too loudly are more likely to cause an accident.

The president of the AA, Edmund King, said:

“We can’t stop the march of technology but we need to halt the ‘iPod pedestrian, cycle and driver zombies’. Whether on two feet, two wheels or four, too many people are suffering from so-called iPod oblivion.

“When on the move our brains have much to take in and using technological gadgets means that our brains can’t always concentrate on so many things at once. This is when we walk into traffic, don’t hear the truck or drive cocooned from the outside world.”

Luckily, there’s a simple solution to the problem. The AA is advising that people turn down the volume of their MP3 players, and avoid texting on their mobile phones whilst crossing a road, riding a bike or driving a car.