Reports Show Distracted Walking Injuries On The Rise

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- It's a familiar sight on streets across America -- people walking with their eyes on their phone instead of the road.

The Urban Dictionary even has a word for it... "Pedtextrian."

"10 years ago I would walk on the street and it would be rare to see people on their phones and now almost everybody that I see is on their phones," said Oscar Moran, who admits to texting while walking.

Across the street, Jordan Benston was spotted walking and video-chatting.

"I know I shouldn't but I still do it," Benston admitted.

The internet is full of videos of people on their phones having accidents. Distracted walking injuries are becoming so common, the National Safety Council (NSC) is including them in its annual injury report for the first time.

The group says the numbers have jumped with the growth of cell phone use from less than 500 in the year 2000 to more than 2,000 in 2011.

As popular videos on YouTube can attest, it's common to see distracted pedestrians fall on the sidewalk or wander into traffic, but the NSC also found that 52 percent of walking injuries happen at home.

"When you think about the home environment, some of the most dangerous situations could be on the stairs where people can have a really bad a fall," said Debbie Hersman, President/CEO of the National Safety Council.

Common injuries include sprains and concussions.