Study: 'Distracted Walking' Injuries Triple
WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — The city of Los Angeles is still one of the most dangerous cities in which to walk and talk or text, according to a new study.
KNX 1070's Megan Goldsby reports researchers found nearly two million people are injured nationwide every year by pedestrians who use a cell phone while walking.
Study: 'Distracted Walking' Injuries Triple
The study - the third of its kind out of Ohio State University - shows that the number of cellphone-related injuries soared from 560 a year in 2004 to over 1,500 in 2010.
Researchers Jack Nasar and Derek Troyer analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, a resource compiled by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, which collects emergency room injury data from 100 hospitals throughout the U.S.
Between the years of 2004 and 2010, data regarding injuries to pedestrians related to cell phone use in public areas showed nearly a tripling of reported injuries during this period despite the fact that the total number of pedestrians treated in emergency rooms over this period dropped from 97,000 to 41,000.
Los Angeles and San Diego were ranked among the top five most dangerous cities for texting/talking and walking, with residents in Stockton and San Francisco also among the worst offenders.
Pedestrians walking near the UCLA campus in Westwood seemed to take the ranking in stride.
"I've been guilty of it," admitted one man.
Results of the study were set to appear in the August 2013 issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
