‘Distracted Walking’: Pedestrians Who Text Greatly Increase Their Risk of Injury, Study Says

A woman looks down at her cell phone while walking though downtown Toronto, on June 12, 2018. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Texting and driving has long been seen as a major danger behind the wheel. But a new study has found that texting and walking can be just as risky.

New research from the University of British Columbia (UBC) has found that “distracted walking” comes with a significantly higher risk of injury compared to those who are alert while navigating busy intersections on foot.

The researchers used traffic cameras to examine the behaviour of people using their phones while crossing two busy streets in Vancouver, and the effect those actions had on vehicle traffic.

They found that texting or talking on the phone while walking increased the chance of severe vehicle interactions and near misses by as much as 45 percent.

“Results showed that distracted pedestrians maintained closer proximity to vehicles, moved at reduced speeds, and rarely yielded to oncoming vehicles,” the authors wrote in their recently published study.

“In addition, they rarely changed their interaction angles regardless of lateral proximity to vehicles, indicating that they mostly remain unaware of the surrounding environment and have decreased navigational efficiency.”

Pedestrians who were not using their phones generally executed safer manoeuvres, were more likely to yield to oncoming traffic, and had an average 30.2 percent increase in minimum distances from vehicles compared to distracted pedestrians.

These “non-distracted” walkers also had a 46.5 percent less chance of being involved in a severe traffic incident, the study found.

Drivers’ actions were also influenced by pedestrian behaviour, the researchers noted. Many of the drivers recorded by the traffic cameras could be seen decelerating when approaching distracted pedestrians, “indicating recognition of potential risks.”

Solutions and Suggestions

The purpose of the study was not just to confirm pedestrians have become increasingly distracted, but to understand the challenges so  infrastructure can be adapted to prevent bicycle-pedestrian and vehicle-pedestrian accidents, the study’s authors said.

“For example, intersections and midblock crosswalks can accommodate the risk of distracted walking by adopting adjusted signal cycles or introducing accessible pedestrian signals,” they wrote. “City planners can also display warnings specifically for pedestrians distracted by their phones.”

Knowledge about pedestrian behaviour could also be used to label high-risk accident zones as “mobile-free” or to introduce policies that penalize distracted pedestrians, the authors said.

“With the rise of autonomous vehicles (AVs), understanding distracted pedestrian behaviour becomes paramount to ensure the effective navigation of these vehicles and their integration into existing environments,” they said. “In this regard, advanced technologies should anticipate the behaviour of road users, including pedestrians’ unexpected decisions due to lack of attention.”