Continuing the topic of using mobile devices while walking — "nagara aruki" — at Takebashi and other stations.
I wondered if the name fits when it is not limited to smartphones, but I had used it anyway. A large docomo ad in Shinjuku says "aruki sumaho" (walking smartphone). The carrier's push to switch to smartphones leaves a "?", but from now I will say "walking smartphone" including feature-phone users.
How many people walk while using phones? It varies by time and place; at stations perhaps one-quarter to one-third. On platforms and in cars they are "standing smartphones" — sometimes nearly half.
Do men or women do it more? Around me, "women more" seems common. Searching for statistics, I found a detective agency survey online.
Because forums often say "especially young women," they counted until 100 people walking while using phones on the street.
Result: 55 men, 45 women — the "more women" belief was rejected. The site dug deeper: collisions while walking and texting — 1 of 55 men vs. 3 of 45 women; women had higher "accident rate." "Men glanced forward more often; women seemed more absorbed" (http://www.tanteifile.com/diary/2013/06/02_01/, http://www.tanteifile.com/diary/2013/06/15_01/) = photo from that site.
Comments also note men who walk confidently thinking "I can dodge anything."
What do you think of this analysis?