Distracted pedestrians cause more accidents than distracted drivers

Distraction can be a big problem these days, as we have or look at numerous items that can disperse our attention at all times, such as cell phones, tablets, street ads, and more. Staying focused can be difficult when walking along the sidewalks of any city, as we are interrupted and receive information at all times. Do you know that a simple conversation can have dangerous implications if you are not aware of things around you?

Experts from the state of Ohio assure that distracted pedestrians suffer and cause more street accidents than drivers in traffic. Jack Nasar and Derek Troyer have gathered information from the country's emergency services, analyzing and studying injured pedestrians, drivers and cyclists for more than five years.

The result? Much more pedestrians hurt because of distraction than the other two groups. Blinded by inattention, some of the cases would be comical if not tragic. Among the situations is a man who hit a post and seriously injured his skull while talking on his cell phone. Another case reports a 14-year-old boy who was also talking on his cell phone who fell two meters off a bridge while stepping into a hole in the asphalt.

The price of distraction

Experts say the facts are worrisome because these people are just talking on their cell phones, not typing messages or eyes elsewhere - theoretically, paying attention to things around them. Most pedestrians who suffered road accidents only spoke on their cell phones (about 60%), while less than 10% typed messages.

To the researchers' surprise, the number of injured people has doubled in the last five years. Are we getting more and more distracted? They say that if the numbers increase, some laws could be implemented to prevent further damage, such as restricting cell phones in more crowded places.

Be that as it may, distracted drivers still hurt many people on the street, as pedestrians usually only injure themselves in accidents. And do you often hit or trip over many things when you walk the streets or are you not distracted at all?