Last updated at 17:00 04 March 2008

Britain's first 'Safe Text' street has been created complete with padded lampposts to protect millions of mobile phone users from getting hurt in street accidents while walking and texting.

Around one in ten careless Brits has suffered a "walk 'n text" street injury in the past year through collisions with lampposts, bins and other pedestrians.

The 6.6million accidents have caused injuries ranging from mild knocks and embarrassing cuts and bruises through to broken noses, cheekbones and even a fractured skull.

Scroll down for more ...

Collision course: Padding around a lamppost in Brick Lane, London. The move is part of the 'safe text' drive to cut the number of phone users injured in street accidents

Almost two thirds - 62 per cent - of Brits concentrate so hard while texting that they lose their peripheral vision, researchers found.

Given the apparent dangers of "unprotected text", over a quarter of Brits - 27 per cent - are in favour of creating a 'mobile motorway' on Britain's pavements.

Texters could follow a brightly coloured line, which which would act like a cycle lane, steering them away from obstacles.

And 44 per cent of those surveyed wanted pads placed on lampposts to protect them while texting.

The study found that busy city streets were the worst for "walk 'n text" accidents.

The research showed that Brick Lane in East London was the top spot for texting injuries.

Now Brick Lane has been made

the country's first “Safe Text” street,

with brightly coloured padding,

similar to that used on rugby posts,

placed on lamp posts to test if it

helps protect dozy mobile users.

If the trial is successful, the idea

could be rolled out to other London

blackspots, including Charing Cross

Road, Old Bond Street, Oxford Street

and Church Street, Stoke Newington.

Across London, it is claimed there

were more than 68,000 such

accidents last year, with victims' injuries

ranging from minor bruises to

fractured skulls.

The blame was placed on the large

amount of street furniture such as

lamp posts and bins and a growing

number of pedestrians attracted by

the area's curry houses and bars.

The survey, by text information

company 118.com, revealed 44 per

cent of mobile users backed the idea

of the padding to save themselves

from injury and mild

embarrassment. Other suggestions included

“mobile motorways”, like cycle lanes,

giving people a brightly coloured

line to follow to stay out of danger.

William Ostrom of 118.com said:

“The study found Brick Lane was the

worst for a combination of reasons. It

has a very high concentration of lamp

posts, signs and bins in a small area.

Added to the pedestrian footfall and

the number of drinking

establishments, it's a hot spot for accidents.”

Britain's 48 million mobile users together send 4.7 million texts an hour.

Campaign groups blamed growing

levels of street “clutter”, such as

lamp posts, bins and recycling points.

Tony Armstrong, chief executive of

Living Streets, said: “Britain's streets

are becoming increasingly like

obstacle courses. We were surprised by the

scale of accidents but know from

our members that cluttered streets

continue to cause daily danger.”