Smartphone distraction may be killing a lot of pedestrians

Posted on Friday, March 31 2017 @ 11:29 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
A new report by the US Governors Highway Safety Association found there's been a massive uptick in pedestrian fatalities over the last couple of years. The year 2016 saw the largest annual increase in fatalities since record keeping began 40 years ago, and since 2010, the rate of pedestrian fatalities has grown at four times the rate of overall traffic deaths.

So what's to blame here? CNN reports researchers think it's linked to the adoption of smartphones, and the big increase in mobile data consumption, which is causing people to pay less attention to the road:
The thing that has changed dramatically in recent years is smartphone use. The volume of wireless data used from 2014 to 2015 more than doubled, according to the Wireless Association.

Drivers and pedestrians who are distracted by their smartphones are less likely to be aware of their surroundings, creating the potential for danger.

"Somebody staring at their phone for two seconds at 40 mph has covered a very long distance," Retting said. "It's not hard to imagine a pedestrian at the wrong place, wrong time, never being seen by the driver."


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



Loading Comments