Texting trouble: Study finds distracted walkers at higher risk of road injury

We hear a lot about the dangers of distracted driving, but what about distracted walking?

New research from the University of British Columbia has confirmed what you might already suspect: it’s risky.

The study, published recently in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that pedestrians who are texting or talking on the phone are less likely to be aware of their surroundings, putting them at higher risk of being hit by a car due to straying off marked crosswalks or failing to react to oncoming traffic.

The researchers found distraction can increase the severity of a vehicle interaction or near miss by as much as 45 per cent.

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“Non-distracted pedestrians made safer choices when interacting with vehicles,” said lead researcher Tarek Sayed, a civil engineering professor and transportation safety expert.

“They maintained greater distances from vehicles, yielded more frequently to oncoming traffic and adjusted their speed when necessary.”

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To come to their conclusions, researchers used a UBC-developed “computer vision system” and artificial intelligence simulation models to analyze video traffic data from a pair of busy downtown Vancouver intersections.

They looked at undistracted pedestrians and those who were occupied by a device, whether talking on the phone, listening to music, texting or reading from a phone.

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They compared those two groups against traffic conflicts and situations that could lead to a conflict, such as when vehicles and pedestrians were on a collision course.

Along with the increased risk to pedestrians, researchers also found drivers reacted differently to distracted pedestrians, often slowing down in an apparent response to potentially unpredictable behaviours.

The researchers say the study could be useful to planners and policymakers looking to reduce the potential for dangerous interactions between vehicles and pedestrians.

“For example, we can accommodate the risk of distracted walking and design safer infrastructure by adjusting crosswalk signal cycles or introducing audio signals to let pedestrians know when it is time to cross,” study co-author Tala Aslsharif said.

She added planners could also post warning signage, or even develop mobile notifications that block pedestrians from using their phones when crossing the street.