One of the biggest dangers to pedestrians today is walking while distracted. As the amount of people with smartphones has increased, so has the amount of those that have been injured or killed while walking down the street. Distracted walking, associated with cell phone use, is thought by experts to be the reason why this increase exists. Smartphones are more than telephones. People can listen to music, text, surf the internet, and play games while walking down the street. When people are not paying attention to the traffic around them, they increase their chances of an accident.

Why does distracted walking matter?

Studies have examined the effects of smartphone use on walking. While distracted walking only accounts for 4% of all pedestrian injuries, it encourages a number of other behaviors that are concerning.

Some of the behaviors associated with distracted walking includes:

• 30% of walkers listen to music, text, or use a cellphone when walking
• Pedestrians that text take 18% longer to cross the road
• Texting increases other unsafe walking behavior by 25%

In fact, these behaviors are only getting worse. The injuries being treated in emergency rooms from pedestrians that were using cellphones when they were injured more than doubled in the five year period between 2005 and 2010.

One of the reactions to distracted walking has been to target high school students. With one study estimating that nearly 50% of high school students use smartphones when on their way to school, high schools are asking their students to sign pledges about crossing the street and walking along roadways safely.

Nationwide, there has been a decrease in the amount of people killed in motor vehicles, associated with the increase in safer vehicles, the use of seat belts, and the crackdown on driving under the influence. However, pedestrian deaths began to rise in 2010 after years of declining or remaining at the same level. In 2007, pedestrians made up 11% of all traffic fatalities. By 2012, they made up 14%.

While there may not be one person at fault when a car crashes with a pedestrian, walking while distracted does not help. If you or a loved one have been involved in an accident, whether walking distracted or not, having a personal injury lawyer can help ensure that medical bills and treatments do not become too much to handle.

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