Thursday, October 31, 2013

Distracted Driving Causing More Pedestrian and Cyclist Collisions

According to dc.streetsblog.org, total traffic deaths have declined nationwide in recent years, but the same has not held true for the most vulnerable people on the streets -- cyclists and pedestrians. In 2011, 130 more pedestrians were killed in traffic than the year before, a three percent increase, while 54 more people lost their lives while biking, an increase of eight percent. The same year, overall traffic deaths declined two percent.

A new study published in Public Health Reports, the journal of the U.S. Public Health Service and the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, reveals that distracted driving — particularly driving while texting — partially explains the rising death toll.