Injuries from cell phones increasing nationwide – Boston Herald

Head and neck injuries from cell phones have increased steadily over the last two decades according to a new study, peaking sharply when the iPhone debuted in 2007, and Boston doctors say its a common occurrence in their emergency departments.

We often see injuries in the ED related to cell phone use. When your phone grabs your attention, you are less aware of other things in your environment, and more likely to miss a step or not notice something in your path as you are walking, said Dr. Carrie Tibbles, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center emergency medicine attending physician.

And as we know, distraction while you are driving can lead to very serious consequences, said Tibbles.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows 76,043 patients in the U.S. went to the emergency room with head and neck injuries related to cell phone use between January 1998 and December 2017. The information was collected from a national database.

Dr. Regan Bergmark, associate surgeon at Brigham and Womens Hospital said, Anecdotally, yes, this is a problem and you can see it driving around Boston anywhere you go so its not surprising that there would be injuries from cell phones.

The most common injuries were minor, such as cuts, bruises or scrapes, but 18% of patients had internal organ injuries.

The injuries resulted from a range of activities as common as texting and walking to cell phone battery explosion or using a phone while driving.

According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, there have been more than 46,000 distracted driving crashes in the state between 2014 and 2018. Of those crashes, 38% were caused by the use of an electronic device.

AAA spokeswoman Mary Maguire said, Smart phones are a potent distraction behind the wheel, and we see evidence of that every day on our roads: drivers who are looking at their phones, and not the road.

Most injuries logged in the study happened in people aged 13-29 years old, with a sharp increase in injuries happening in 2007, This period also coincides with the release of the first major successful smartphone in the US market, the iPhone, researchers wrote.

A new distracted driving bill, signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker last month bans drivers from using handheld devices while driving. Warnings will be issued during the current grace until March 31, 2020, and violators thereafter will be subject to fines.

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Injuries from cell phones increasing nationwide - Boston Herald