Although the craze surrounding Pokemon GO is now well and truly over, the impact it had on the world is still being felt.
A comprehensive study (that is awaiting peer-review) by two professors - Mara Faccio and John J. McConnell - at Purdue University has found that after studying 12,000 accident reports in Tippecanoe County in rural Indiana, they found a 26.5% increase in accidents that occurred near Pokestops.
For those who haven't played Pokemon GO, Pokestops are places in the world where players must congregate in order to pick up items in the game or battle other players. Pokestops caused controversy here in Ireland when one Pokestop was made out of a sculpture to fallen Irish soldiers in the National Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge. Another Pokestop was made out of the Famine Memorial in East Wall.
The study, titled Death By Pokemon GO, estimated that an additional 134 accidents occurred in the region directly after the release of the game, which in turn caused an additional $500,000 in vehicle damage and 31 injuries. Niantic Labs, the creators behind Pokemon GO, have picked up players using the game while driving and input warnings and safeguards against it, but it still hasn't stopped players from using it while driving.
Niantic Labs haven't yet commented on the study's findings. You can read the full study here.
Via SSRN
