Distracted driving has long been a problem in this city, but texting zombies are still obliviously ambling across busy streets, blind to everything but their own emoji keyboards. Or so says this recently released study, which found that a significant chunk of midtown pedestrians are distracted while crossing streets. Can you imagine?
The study, published this week in the Journal of Community Health, focused on pedestrians at five intersections near either Penn Station or Times Square over a period of two months. What they found is that out of the 21,760 pedestrian crossings they witnessed, 30 percent of people who crossed at a green light were wearing headphones, looking at a phone or electronic device, or talking on the phone.
More disturbingly, 42 percent of pedestrians who crossed against the light exhibited similar distracted behavior. "Just as using technology while driving is dangerous, listening to, looking at or talking into an electronic device while walking divides attention and increases the risk of injury," the study concludes.
The city's been trying to cut down on traffic injuries and fatalities as part of Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero initiative, recently rolling out safety plans for all five boroughs that aim to keep pedestrians safe. This is a noble effort, and certainly we can do more to enforce traffic laws in a city full of drivers who flout them, but do yourself a favor and pay attention when you cross the street.
