Over the summer, gaming company Niantic released the mobile game Pokemon Go, which can be downloaded on your smartphone or mobile device. Millions of people of all ages downloaded and began playing the game, which involves walking around town in search of Pokemon characters. The app superimposes the characters onto the image of the real world in front of you and you must stop and swipe your screen to “catch” the characters.
While wildly popular, Pokemon Go has not been without its issues. For one, it has caused millions of people to walk around staring directly at their phones. Distracted walking can be extremely dangerous, especially if you are walking near traffic. In addition to traffic collisions, pedestrians playing Pokemon Go have tripped and fallen, walked directly into trees or poles, and two players even walked right off of a cliff. Thankfully, they survived but not without injuries.
In addition to distracted walking accidents, people have been playing Pokemon Go while they are behind the wheel of a moving car. The game causes extremely dangerous distractions for drivers as it often requires both hands to catch a Pokemon and it requires more attention than texting does. It is no surprise that people have crashed their cars and caused injuries if they decided to play Pokemon Go while driving.
Tips for Your Safety
Just because Pokemon Go has resulted in injuries does not mean that you should simply quit playing the game. Instead, you should follow certain steps to keep yourself safe:
- Do not walk near traffic or intersections while staring down at your phone;
- Never play Pokemon Go while driving or riding a bicycle;
- Do not enter any areas that would constitute trespassing;
- Avoid playing alone at night or in isolated areas;
- Generally pay attention to your surroundings while playing the game.
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While it is best to take precautions and stay safe when playing Pokemon Go or other mobile games, you never know when an accident or injury may occur. It is critical to always have the proper insurance coverage in the event that you are injured in some way. There are many different types of insurance that can be beneficial if you are injured, including health, auto, or even disability insurance. If you would like more information about our insurance products, please call Berliner-Gelfand & Co., Inc. for a quote from an experienced agent today.