Tag Archives: phone

General Safety Issues

Problem Pedestrians: Impaired Walking and Drunk Walking

Guest Post by Garrick Infanger, Forensic Engineering Hub

Numerous accidents occur each year involving pedestrians. New research is evaluating the effects of impairments on the pedestrians. Impairments can involve physical disabilities, inebriation, or even technology.

In the excellent New York Times series ‘Driven to Distraction’, Matt Richtel examines the effect of modern technology on pedestrians in a new article ‘Forget Gum. Walking and Using Phone Is Risky’.

The era of the mobile gadget is making mobility that much more perilous, particularly on crowded streets and in downtown areas where multiple multitaskers veer and swerve and walk to the beat of their own devices…
Slightly more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 because they got distracted and tripped, fell or ran into something while using a cellphone to talk or text. That was twice the number from 2007, which had nearly doubled from 2006, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University, which says it is the first to estimate such accidents.
The era of the mobile gadget is making mobility that much more perilous, particularly on crowded streets and in downtown areas where multiple multitaskers veer and swerve and walk to the beat of their own devices…
Slightly more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 because they got distracted and tripped, fell or ran into something while using a cellphone to talk or text. That was twice the number from 2007, which had nearly doubled from 2006, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University, which says it is the first to estimate such accidents.
Pedestrian
The recent bestseller ‘SuperFreakonomics’ deals with the issue of drunk-walking that involves some of the same issues for impaired walking on a worldwide basis.
Each year, more than 1,000 drunk pedestrians die in traffic accidents. They step off sidewalks into city streets; they lie down to rest on country roads; they make mad dashes across busy highways…
The average American walks about a half- mile per day outside the home or workplace. There are some 237 million Americans sixteen and older; all t old, that’s 43 billion miles walked each year by people of driving age. If we assume that 1 of every 140 of those miles are walked drunk— the same proportion of miles that are driven drunk— then307 million miles are walked drunk each year.
Doing the math, you find that on a per- mile basis, a drunk walker is eight times more likely to get killed than a drunk driver.
Whether an iPhone or a beer, impaired walking seems to be on the rise around the world.
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Garrick Infanger writes for the Forensic Engineering Hub, an engineering-focused site sponsored by Armstrong Forensic Engineers.
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Photo Credit: New York Times
General Safety Issues

DISTRACTED DRIVERS ARE DEADLY DRIVERS, Part II

Week four of National Safety Month, 2010, in the U.S. focuses on distracted drivers using cell phones.  Parts of this article were originally written for week four of National Safety Month, 2009; however, things haven’t changed very much in a year’s time.  There have probably been more persons to add to the statistics that have killed or injured by someone who was texting or using a cell phone while driving.  (On ABC News last night, it was reported that there is a 23% more risk of an accident if texting on a cell phone while driving.) Let’s hope someone out there will heed this message.
Our vehicles now have so many complex DVD players, CD players, bluetooth and satellite navigation systems that it’s a wonder we actually have time to focus on the main thing – driving!  The National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers cause nearly 4 out of 5 motor vehicle crashes in the United States.  Now we get to the major culprit: cell phones.    In a survey taken by a major insurance company, almost 40% of teens and young adults admitted that they send and receive text messages while driving, and also said they hit someone while doing so, or were almost hit by another car whose driver was talking/texting on their cell phone.
In our article earlier this year, “Thank You, Oprah,” we recognized this celebrity who has convinced thousands of drivers to take the “No Phone Zone Pledge.”  If you have seen just one of her shows that features a family or person who has been affected by an accident caused by a driver using their cell phone or texting while driving, it should have convinced you to sign her pledge. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that more than 150,000 persons are injured in accidents caused by drivers either texting or talking on their cell phones each year.
The next time you get behind the wheel, think about your total commitment to safe driving.  Things that are going on in your life that might cause you to become distracted, are not worth losing your life over.  Try this:
o Turn the cell phone off.  Your messages will be on it when you arrive safely at your destination.  (In your heart, you know it’s the right thing to do!)
o Visit with your passengers without looking at them. (They can still hear you.)
o Don’t eat while driving, and of course, don’t drink alcohol while driving (it’s against the law!),
o Put your make up on before you leave the house.
o Do your reading at home, work, or the library!
o Set your entertainment or navigation systems before you start.
o Strap in the kids and hope for the best.
More and more travelers will take to the roads during the summer months.  Always stay focused on being a safe driver.  That should be your #1 priority every time you start the car.  Don’t let distractions get in your way.
Week four of National Safety Month, 2010, in the U.S. focuses on distracted drivers using cell phones.  Parts of this article were originally written for week four of National Safety Month, 2009; however, things haven’t changed very much in a year’s time.  There have probably been more persons to add to the statistics that have killed or injured by someone who was texting or using a cell phone while driving.  (On ABC News recently, it was reported that there is a 23% more risk of an accident if texting on a cell phone while driving.) Let’s hope someone out there will heed this message.
Our vehicles now have so many complex DVD players, CD players, bluetooth and satellite navigation systems that it’s a wonder we actually have time to focus on the main thing – driving!  The National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers cause nearly 4 out of 5 motor vehicle crashes in the United States.  Now we get to the major culprit: cell phones.    In a survey taken by a major insurance company, almost 40% of teens and young adults admitted that they send and receive text messages while driving, and also said they hit someone while doing so, or were almost hit by another car whose driver was talking/texting on their cell phone.
In our article earlier this year, “Thank You, Oprah,” we recognized this celebrity who has convinced thousands of drivers to take the “No Phone Zone Pledge.”  If you have seen just one of her shows that features a family or person who has been affected by an accident caused by a driver using their cell phone or texting while driving, it should have convinced you to sign her pledge. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that more than 150,000 persons are injured in accidents caused by drivers either texting or talking on their cell phones each year.
The next time you get behind the wheel, think about your total commitment to safe driving.  Things that are going on in your life that might cause you to become distracted, are not worth losing your life over.  Try this:
  • Turn the cell phone off.  Your messages will be on it when you arrive safely at your destination.  (In your heart, you know it’s the right thing to do!)
  • Visit with your passengers without looking at them. (They can still hear you.)
  • Don’t eat while driving, and of course, don’t drink alcohol while driving (it’s against the law!),
  • Put your make up on before you leave the house.
  • Do your reading at home, work, or the library!
  • Set your entertainment or navigation systems before you start.
  • Strap in the kids and hope for the best.
More and more travelers will take to the roads during the summer months.  Always stay focused on being a safe driver.  That should be your #1 priority every time you start the car.  Don’t let distractions get in your way.
General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

DO YOU TALK AND TEXT WHILE WALKING?

We’ve talked about drunk, drowsy, distracted, and deadly drivers in the past, but how about “distracted walkers?”  The American College of Emergency Physicians issued a warning several months ago after gathering information from across the United States about the increasing number of patients that are treated in emergency rooms after being injured in pedestrian accidents while using their cellphones to text or talk.  And worse, just this week, a 14-year old boy in Florida was killed when he stepped in front of an oncoming car that he did not see because he was texting on his cellphone.  This follows pedestrian deaths in New York and Illinois that have prompted two state lawmakers to submit bills banning texting while walking in their states.

The thought of such legislation is sure to be the source of late-night jokes, but this is a serious matter.  Several states have already banned the use of cell phones while driving in school zones, and texting while driving has been shown to be as deadly as drinking while driving.  There’s just no way one can pay attention while typing and walking or driving.  As a public relations ploy last March, (which lasted only twenty-four hours), a busy street in London was pictured with lampposts covered with rugby goalposts cushions.  This was in an area that is known for heavy digital gadget users.  This gimmick showed that persons walked into lampposts, trash containers, telephone poles, and even walls while focusing their attention on their mobile gadgets.  Most injuries are superficial; however, there have been many deaths caused by either inattention of walkers, or drivers that have hit pedestrians who were either jaywalking or stepping off a curb while texting or talking on their phone.

If bicyclists, rollerbladers, pedestrians, and skateboarders could wait to use their electronic devices after they are finished with their activities, they will have a better chance to stay in one piece.  If they receive a message, they should wait until they stop to check it out.  It is the misuse of these expensive gadgets that is getting us in trouble – both behind the wheel and now on our own two feet.  It’s been proven that multitasking leads to less efficient production than focusing on one job at a time.  True, it’s hard to believe we ever got along without cell phones because of the convenience they afford.  But trying to communicate at a time we should be thinking about where we are going, and how we are getting there, is a risk we shouldn’t be willing to take.  Better to send or retrieve that message when you reach your destination safely than while you are waiting to be seen in an emergency room.

More than 1,000 pedestrians required emergency room visits in 2008 because they were distracted and tripped, fell, or ran into something while using a cellphone to text or talk.  The number of accidents is probably much higher than that, because many of the injuries are not severe enough to need a visit to the hospital.  Ira Hyman, a psychology professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, recently conducted a study on this subject.  He noted that many times pedestrians using their phones don’t even notice objects or people right in front of them.  He says the term commonly applied to such preoccupation is “inattention blindness”, which means a person can be looking at an object but fail to process what it is.  He proved this when he and his students had one of the students dress as a clown and ride a unicycle around a central square on campus.  Twenty-five percent of people talking on a cellphone at the time did not even see the clown.

Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder to walk with care, just as you drive.  Teach your kids that safety should always come first.  It may be cool to walk around with an iPod, or phone, but tell them to get in the habit of thinking about the trouble these devices can cause by simply not paying attention.  This applies to folks of all ages; you could trip over your cat in your own home while you are talking on the phone.  Stay focused on the task at hand, and you will stay safe!