Pokémon GO—A New Distraction for Drivers and Pedestrians

Pokemon GO, an augmented reality game, has swept the nation. As players move, their avatar moves within the game, and players are then rewarded for collecting Pokemon placed in real-world locations. By rewarding movement, the game incentivizes physical activity. However, if players use their cars to search for Pokemon they negate any health benefit and incur serious risk. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 16- to 24-year-olds, whom the game targets. Moreover, according to the American Automobile Association, 59% of all crashes among young drivers involve distractions within 6 seconds of the accident. We report on an assessment of drivers and pedestrians distracted by Pokemon GO and crashes potentially caused by Pokemon GO by mining social and news media reports. Language: en