If you ever watched Pokemon as a child and thought, "I wish I could be a pokemon trainer, roaming the world and trying to catch them all!" Then you're in luck! In early July, game developer Niantic released the now widely popular, free-to-play app called Pokemon Go that now gives everyone the ability to live out their childhood dream of "catching them all."
Unfortunately, using the app does not come without risks. As numerous reports explain, the app requires users to navigate through the real world in order to collect creatures in the game. For some, the allure of catching them all has been too great, which has resulted in accidents between pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles due to distraction on the part of the user.
But it's not just pedestrians and bicyclists who are to blame for these collisions. Reports from other countries, such as the one published by The Guardian last month, indicate that young drivers are starting to use the app while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Not only is this behavior distracting, it's also incredibly reckless and could lead to a serious accident as well.
While many people agree that the game has its benefits -- such as getting people outside and exercising -- there is no ignoring the danger it presents to people who do not remain aware of their surroundings or choose to act negligently, such as playing the game while driving.
The hope is that as the game grows in popularity, so too does the community's awareness of the dangers it presents and that users start to take a more proactive approach to preventing accidents and serious injuries from occurring.