Texting Kiwis on the move are finding themselves batted and bruised, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) statistics showed 35 accidents last year resulting in injuries involved people texting on cellphones - up from 22 in 2009.
Examples of ACC claims involving walking while texting include, "Walked into lamp-post while texting on phone and injured my face" and "texting while walking, walked into another person and tripped over, hit face on concrete floor", the newspaper says.
According to new research by Australian scientists shows that texting while walking slows down movement, decreases spatial awareness and increases the likelihood of being injured.