Because they are not encased in a steel frame when struck by cars, pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely to die in car crashes. Ultimately, this means there is one crash-related pedestrian death every two hours.
What’s behind this high total? For the most part, distraction and carelessness are the leading culprits. People step off curbs too soon, may walk in roadways where there is no sidewalk or may presume that a speeding vehicle sees them crossing and will stop.
All of these can be fatal mistakes, particularly at night or during times of high stress for motor vehicle operators, like rush hour, when the focus is more on getting to a destination than getting somewhere safely. A vehicle moving at even the relatively slow and recommended 25 miles per hour still needs a certain number of feet to halt completely. Needless to say, Detroit steel will beat flesh and blood every time in the battle of wills.
The Biggest Risks
Some pedestrians are at higher risk than others. Men are more likely to be injured than women in motor vehicle crashes. Teens and young adults (those ages 15 to 29 years old) are the biggest offenders and are far more likely to wind up in the hospital emergency room than other age groups, likely because they are among the greatest number of walkers.
However, pedestrian deaths from crashes generally increase in age, no doubt related to slowed reflexes and other distractions. And more than one-third of pedestrians who died in traffic crashes were legally drunk, which may have caused them to stumble into traffic or impaired their judgment on when it was safe to cross.
Small children are also an issue. They are harder to see because of their stature, more prone to impulsive behavior that doesn’t consider traffic’s ability to stop, have an inability to gauge speed or distance, and don’t have as much experience dealing with traffic. Almost one in four deaths among children age 14 and younger is a pedestrian traffic death.
The Cell Phone Issue
A powerful new tool that just entered the marketplace in the past two decades is also a major cause of pedestrian deaths. We’re talking, of course, about the cell phone.
It’s now common to see people walking down the street and paying close attention to their cell phones. If there’s a pothole, open manhole or oncoming traffic, the cell phone holder may not see it.
A study in the August 2013 issue of Accident Analysis & Prevention found that more than 1,500 pedestrians were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries sustained while using a cell phone while walking. The initial study was done in 2010 and showed that incidents more than doubled in the three years from 2010-2013, which led the study’s co-author to predict that it would double again by 2015. Most the injured were between ages 16 and 25 and were injured while talking on their phones.
But texting and walking is obviously dangerous. What’s less known is that distracted walking results in more injuries per mile than distracted driving.
It’s not just texting that causes problems. Talking while walking, chatting on the phone, being lost in thought or just paying attention to things other than direction are issues that can cause serious problems for pedestrians.
Potential issues include bumping into walls, falling down stairs, tripping over clutter or stepping into traffic. In London, the issue became such a danger that bumpers were placed on light poles along one busy street to shield people who frequently slammed into them.
Although texting while driving causes injuries that are far more severe, owing to automobiles' speed, physical injuries from texting and walking occur more frequently. Pedestrians can face three potential types of distractions: manual, which involves doing something other than paying attention to directions; visual, which is seeing something distracting; or cognitive, which means daydreaming instead of paying attention to location.
Doctors and emergency clinics treat tens of thousands of pedestrian injuries each year; an estimated 10 percent of those involve cell phone use. The actual number may even be higher because patients may be reluctant to reveal that they were doing something that could put them at fault or embarrassment.
Of course the rise of social media means texting isn’t the only concern. It’s not uncommon to find a person walking, head down, scrolling through a Facebook or Twitter feed or potentially checking email.
An Ohio State University study found that pedestrian emergency room visits for injuries related to cell phones tripled between 2004 and 2010, even though the total number of pedestrians’ injuries decreased.
Tips for Walking Safely
What’s to be done? There have been laws that discourage texting and walking, but many have been voted down as an infringement on human liberties or a manifestation of the so-called “nanny state,” which means an overreaching government is trying to correct fundamental human behavior.
Instead, experts say voice commands can help cut back on distractions. But the best advice is to wait until you get where you’re going before catching up on email or social media. That way, you at least can see what’s going on in the environment.
There are other tips that may help. First, don’t jaywalk. Cross at designated crosswalks and intersections, which will alert drivers to any potential pedestrians crossing their field of vision. Second, carry a flashlight if walking at night and wear something light colored that can reflect light and warn drivers that there’s a walker in the area.
Finally, use the sidewalk to walk. That’s what it’s there for. If there is no sidewalk and walking in the street can’t be avoided, it is best to walk on the shoulder and face oncoming traffic.
Following all of these tips will go a long way to ensuring that pedestrians maintain maximum safety while moving in a world dominated by motor vehicles.