Heads Up: Distracted Walkers Pose Danger in Walkable Cities

We are now in the middle of the summer road trip season. Whether you plan to drive across the country, or are enjoying a destination on foot, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings. Smartphone distractions are all around us. Today, it’s not just the distracted driver that threatens your safety—distracted pedestrians are increasingly hazardous in urban areas.

Last month, an online Harris Poll of 2,000 adults found that the U.S. cities that are considered the most walkable may also be the most dangerous for distracted pedestrians. Three out of four Americans said New York City is dealing with the highest rate of walking while distracted by a smartphone. Other cities thought to be faced with the highest frequency of distracted walkers are Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Chicago, and San Francisco, Miami, and Atlanta which are all top summer vacation destinations.

Multi-tasking while walking might seem like a time saver, but those distracted pedestrians are putting themselves and others on the road in danger. Distracted walking could be as dangerous as distracted driving. A 2014 study by the University of Buffalo suggests distracted walking may result in more accidents per mile than distracted driving. And earlier this year, Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal pointed out that emergency room visits from distracted pedestrians rose 124 percent from 2010 to 2014. And these studies were conducted before Pokémon Go created a whole new set of highly distracted walkers. Whether searching for monsters or operating some other app, more and more people have their attention focused elsewhere.

Teenagers are especially vulnerable to accidents caused by smartphone distractions. Research by Safe Kids Worldwide reveals that one in five teens admit they cross streets while distracted by a mobile device. A recent AAA study also found that the 15-to-19-year old demographic has the largest proportion of distracted drivers. The research shows that teens are distracted nearly a quarter of the time they’re behind the wheel and they are four times more likely than adults to get into crashes while using their cell phone.

State and federal policymakers are weighing solutions for preventing deaths and injuries linked to driver and pedestrian smartphone distractions. While legislation may take time, PCI and auto insurers are pushing for the immediate benefits of greater awareness and education on these expanding dangers.
Let’s all remind ourselves and our loved ones to put down the phone and keep our heads up this summer—whether you are behind the wheel or on foot.

Robert Passmore
Assistant Vice President, Personal Lines Policy
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI)