Safety Tips: How to avoid injuries caused by texting-on-the-go

It wasn't the bumps and bruises that surprised emergency room physicians when they started looking into the dangers of texting. It was the fatalities. "It's like walking blind," says Linda Lawrence, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, who has heard of people stepping into moving traffic, BlackBerry in hand.

Unlike speaking on a cell phone, texting requires users to divert their eyes, Lawrence says. The growing number of users of iPhones, BlackBerrys and other handheld devices has made texting-on-the-go a risk for people of all ages.

Lawrence's group offers this advice:

1 Don't text while engaged in physical activities that require sustained attention, such as biking, in-line skating and playing sports.

2 Never text while driving.

3 Keep your phone or BlackBerry accessible, so you don't have to rummage for it.

4 Turn off the device, or ignore the call or message, whenever responding might be dangerous.

5 Avoid sending messages when you're out alone at night or in a crowded area where you could be the victim of a pickpocket.