Is Distracted Walking (Texting While Walking) the Reason Teens Are Hit By Cars More Than Children Age 5-9?

#ad▼

According to a study by SafeKids.org, about 61 children are hit by cars every day in the United States, most often during the hours before and after school, and peaking in September. And, there has been a noticeable demographic shift. It is now much more likely a teenager will be hit by a car than his younger counterpart.

Back in 1995, children ages 5 to 9 were at higher risk than any other age group under 19 for being struck by a vehicle while walking.

Eliminating Distracted Walking
Because of these facts and shift in demographics, the National Safety Council is focused on efforts to eliminate distracted walking – specifically walking while texting. According to a study by The Nielsen Company, kids age 13 to 17 send more than 3,400 texts a month. That’s seven messages every hour they are awake.

The kids in this video seem to validate those texting statistics.

Before your children head out, remind them of these year-round safety tips:

Never walk while texting or talking on the phone
If texting, move out of the way of others and stop on the sidewalk
Never cross the street while using an electronic device
Do not walk with headphones on
Be aware of the surroundings
Always walk on the sidewalk if one is available; if a child must walk on the street, he or she should face oncoming traffic
Look left, right, then left again before crossing the street
Cross only at crosswalks

Safe Kids’ Gary Karton hits the streets of Washington, D.C., to talk with teens about the dangers of distracted walking. In our recent survey, we found that half of teens say they cross the street while distracted by a mobile device.

20240105-1435future




 facebook … 

GET ALERTS on Facebook.com/ArlingtonCardinal

GET ALERTS on Facebook.com/CardinalEmergencies

GET ALERTS on Facebook.com/ArlingtonHeightsCrime

Stay informed with news from PublicSafetyReporter.com’s Emergencies Behind the Scenes Facebook page — Facebook.com/CardinalEmergencies. Includes links to favorite public safety and emergency rescuers and product manufacturers and safety companies that have Facebook pages. Submit your pictures or just stay up-to-date on with fire, rescue, EMS and police photo galleries. Please add your public safety photo to the timeline, or send a message to the page.


Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor

Search Amazon …

Search for products sold on Amazon:

Arlingtoncardinal.com is an Amazon Associate website, which means that a small percentage of your purchases gets paid to Arlingtoncardinal.com at no extra cost to you. When you use the search boxes above, any Amazon banner ad, or any product associated with an Amazon banner on this website, you help pay expenses related to maintaining Arlingtoncardinal.com and creating new services and ideas for a resourceful website. See more info at Arlingtoncardinal.com/AdDisclosure