You may be tired of hearing about it, or you may be playing it yourself as you read this, but Pokémon Go is here and it's going to stay in the spotlight for a long time. If you hate it, it will probably be even more frustrating for you to hear that the game is influencing many players to drive a 'bit' less responsibly as they play the game at the same time.

Across the country, Pokémon Go players are playing the game while driving, instead of walking like it was originally marketed for. This creates a potentially dangerous situation for both the players, other drivers, and pedestrians. We already know about the often lethal consequences of distracted driving, most States punish motorists for using their phone. In 2013 there were approximately 341,000 auto accidents involving texting and 9 Americans are killed every day due to distracted driving from using a cell phone, texting, or eating. Yet the message apparently hasn't gotten to some of these people.

txdot-via-facebook

On July 12  at 10:45 p.m, a driver crashed his car into a tree in Auburn, NY. After only suffering minor injuries from the crash, he admitted that he was playing the game while driving and became too distracted. Fortunately for him he could walk away from the crash. Hopefully he learns to put the phone down next time.

In another part of the country...

The driver of the 2nd car was the cause of the collision in this incident, but the 1st driver shouldn't have left his car on the road in the first place.

And in another country altogether, two players from Quebec were in a car when they reversed and crashed into a police cruiser. Both players admitted to playing the game and not noticing the police car that had followed them for failing to use their turn signal when pulling into the library parking lot where the collision occurred.

Let's make this clear, it's not the game's fault that these things are happening. Pokémon Go warns players many times that they need to be aware of their surroundings while playing the game.

For the safety of yourselves and everyone around you, please

Don't Pokémon Go and Drive

- The World