Drivers distracted by 'Pokémon Go' caused major damage in the game's first few months

Playing Pokémon Go while driving is incredibly dangerous and may have caused billions of dollars of damages across the United States within the first few months of its release.

A recent paper titled “Death by Pokémon Go“ took a look at car crashes in Tippecanoe County, Indiana after the release of Pokémon Go and found that drivers using the app caused an estimated $5.2 million to $25.5 million in damages in just under 150 days.

The paper, written by Purdue University economists Mara Faccio and John J. McConnell, specifically looked at areas in Tippecanoe County that are designated as PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go, which are locations that players can visit to get free items and battle other players, respectively. While PokéStops can be interacted with instantly, making them easily accessible to drivers, Gym battles take a bit of time to finish, and the paper found a disproportionate amount of crashes, damage, injuries, and even deaths around PokéStops. Read more…

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Source: Mashable | Drivers distracted by 'Pokémon Go' caused major damage in the game's first few months