Pokemon Go Responsible for Hundreds of Costly Accidents in 148 days Since Launch (Study)

Pokemon Go caused millions of dollars in property damage in a span of 148 days since it released.

Fans of Pokemon Go really enjoy playing the game when they’re driving their cars as economists, Mara Faccio and John McConnell of Purdue University point out.

Niantic’s popular augmented reality app for iOS and Android is responsible for multiple car accidents which occurred in the first 148 days after the game was released in July 2016. The two economists sifted through accident reports from Tippecanoe County, Indiana and found that most crashes and injuries occurred around Pokestops and gyms; the former is where players get virtual supplies while the latter is where they pit their Pokemon against others.

Pokemon Go Go proved to be such a lethal habit for drivers that it eventually resulted in the deaths of two people. According to the ongoing study, the total value from injuries, damage, and the two death cost the county between $5.2 million and $25.5 million. If the damage would transition to the wider US area, this would equal to $2 billion to $7.3 billion in damages.

In 148 there have been 286 additional crashes occurred in the county as opposed to the year before. 134 of these accidents occurred near pokéstops. The paper assumes the increase in crashes was caused by Pokemon Go directly.

Pokemon Go essentially forces people to leave the confines of their homes and search for digital monsters where the game tells them to. While many walk to the designated location, some choose to cheat and drive their way there. Niantic took measures to prevent people from taking advantage of these loopholes by making the game unplayable at certain speeds.

The researchers compared the numbers of crashes between pokéstops and gyms and found that accidents were more frequent near pokéstops, which points to people getting out of their cars while playing Pokemon Go.

Image Source: WikipediaCommons

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Roxanne Briean

I am a geek, a gamer and a writer. I have always been fascinated with the online community. At the moment I work as a full-time writer and study interior design. When I'm not scouring the net in search of interesting new gadgets and software I spend my time in MOBAs or drawing.

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