A pedestrian safety study from the University of Maryland overstates the perils of walking while using headphones, while ignoring a fundamental reason for auto-pedestrian accidents--dangerous streets lacking adequate infrastructure for pedestrians.
Stephen Lee Davis presents a compelling argument for why a recently publicized Study misses the mark when compared to the totality of threats to the safety of pedestrians.
He notes that, "From 2000-2009 47,700 people were killed while walking in the U.S. [, while the] University of Maryland study found 116 deaths in 8 years where headphones were said to be involved, or about 0.3% of all pedestrian deaths during the study period."
"The primary reasons for the other 35,885 or so pedestrian deaths in the last 10 years hasn't changed with the rise of smartphones, iPods and ubiquitous white earbuds. That song remains the same: millions of people live on or near streets and roads that aren't safe for walking; streets without sidewalks, streets without safe crossings, streets that force far too many people to brave unsafe conditions on foot simply to get from A to B."
Thanks to Joe Batcheller
FULL STORY: Its the 1 percent vs. the 99 percent, pedestrian safety edition
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
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Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research