NHTSA Warns Drivers Not to Play Pokemon Go and Drive
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned drivers July 8 not to play the megahit augmented reality game Pokemon Go while driving.
NHTSA tweeted, “Stay safe on the roads, don’t #PokemonGo and drive. #justdrive.”
Other safety organizations echoed NHTSA’s warnings, including the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, which released an ad telling drivers to “Wait to GO until you’ve stopped.”
The game, which lets users track down virtual Pokemons in their vicinity, has topped the free-to-download app charts for Apple in the United States and Australia since its July 7 debut, according to market researcher App Annie, Bloomberg News reported.
As a sign of the game’s broad appeal, people are going to great lengths to play Pokemon Go, which encourages users to wander their surroundings to find “pocket monsters” to train and battle with each other. Reports have surfaced of players driving for hours to seek hard-to-reach Pokemons, or a pair of gamers in New Zealand renting a kayak to nab one in the middle of Wellingtons Bay, according to Bloomberg.
The game does include a warning for players to “remember to be alert” at all times. Police in New Castle, Delaware, warned drivers not to play while driving — “Pls no #PokemonGO and #driving! It's not safe! Be aware of your surroundings and #gottacatchemall.”
A late-night hunt for Pokemons in Missouri led some players into a trap set up by armed robbers, local media reported.
Eyes up, Poké Balls down, people.
Stay safe on the roads, don’t #PokemonGo and drive. #justdrive pic.twitter.com/0zXXNr6n1i — NHTSA (@NHTSAgov) July 8, 2016
Wait. Park. Then, #PokemonGO! Do NOT use mobile app devices while driving. #PikachuCanWait #HelpingYouArrive @TNHSO pic.twitter.com/6ZpHB1sc4x — TN Highway Safety (@TNHSO) July 9, 2016
Pls no #PokemonGO and #driving! It's not safe! Be aware of your surroundings and #gottacatchemall pic.twitter.com/Vw1W96idgF — NewCastleCountyPD (@NCCPD_DE) July 11, 2016
When you're driving and a Pokemon appears #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/ks9ijl71Hs — Jordan Williams (@jordan_w126) July 11, 2016
On the go w/ #PokemonGo? Be safe & don't play while driving or give the phone to a passenger. #DontDriveDistracted pic.twitter.com/qgjdM4vdrQ — AAA Mid-Atlantic (@AAAMidAtlantic) July 11, 2016
