'Distracted Walking' Becomes an Epidemic

Likely of little surprise to anyone who's found themselves among the few pedestrians not gazing down at a cell phone on a busy urban street, 'distracted walking' is fast becoming a major public health hazard across the U.S., reports Deborah Netburn.

1 minute read

July 31, 2012, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

You're likely aware of the dangers of 'distracted driving', which may have something to do with the 13.5% jump in traffic fatalities reported during the first three months of this year. But recent data indicates that 'distracted walking' is emerging as a public health concern.

According to Nertburn, "The number of people who have landed in U.S. emergency rooms thanks to
injuries incurred while they were walking and texting, tweeting, playing
video games, talking on the phone, or listening to music on headphones,
has more than quadrupled in the past seven years, the Associated Press reports."

"And data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that while traffic deaths went down in 2010 from the year before, pedestrian fatalities rose by 4.2% and injuries by 19%."

FULL STORY: Number of 'distracted walking' injuries quadruple in 7 years

Monday, July 30, 2012 in Los Angeles Times

Social / Demographics Transportation United States Public Health Distracted Walking

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