Talking on the cell phone? Spot the clown

WASHINGTON: Pedestrians who talk on a mobile phone are slower, change direction more, have difficulty navigating - and are less likely to notice obvious distractions like a unicycling clown, a study said this week.

Researchers observed 317 pedestrians as they crossed the main square of the campus of Western Washington University using the 114-meter-long main diagonal pathway.

The people observed were either talking on a mobile phone, listening to a personal music player, in conversation with another pedestrian, or walking alone, without any electronic devices.