We already knew intuitively that it is riskier to text, read or even listen to music while walking than to simply walk while paying attention, but empirical evidence of this danger is rare and often anecdotal.
A new study by the University of British Columbia (UBC) using computer cameras powered by artificial intelligence at two busy intersections in downtown Vancouver finds a stark difference in pedestrian risks distracted by their smartphones and those who walk without distraction.
Riskier behaviors
The study, published in the specialist journal “Accident Analysis and Prevention”, demonstrates that distracted pedestrians position themselves closer to vehicles, move at reduced speed and rarely give way to approaching vehicles. Additionally, they rarely change their interaction angle regardless of lateral proximity to vehicles, indicating that they remain almost completely unaware of their immediate surroundings.
The level of distraction increases the level of risk significantly. So, for example, interactions between vehicles and non-distracted pedestrians showed a 46.5% drop in the severity of traffic conflicts (measured by the average “time-to-collision” duration) and an average increase of 30. 2% of the minimum distance with a vehicle compared to interactions between vehicles and distracted pedestrians.
“Undistracted pedestrians make safer choices when interacting with vehicles,” writes co-lead author Dr. Tarek Sayed, an engineer and transportation safety expert. “They maintain a greater distance from vehicles, yield to traffic more frequently and adjust their speed according to the circumstance.”
Distrustful drivers
Researchers also found that drivers change their behavior in the presence of distracted pedestrians. They often choose to decelerate when seeing distracted pedestrians, thus demonstrating recognition of the potential risk.
Co-lead author Tara Alsharif, a graduate student in civil engineering at UBC, explains that this study allows us to consider ways to mitigate the risk posed by distracted pedestrians “by adjusting signal cycles at crosswalks or integrating signals sound to let pedestrians know when it is safe to cross. Municipal authorities could also post warnings specifically aimed at pedestrians distracted by their smartphones and possibly even introduce mobile notifications that would discourage cell phone use when crossing an intersection.
In Quebec: distraction on both sides
In Quebec, the last in-depth analysis of accidents involving pedestrians dates from 2016, but we still learn that distraction is by far the main cause of accidents causing “bodily damage” to pedestrians, i.e. 64% of them. . Certainly, it is distracted vehicle drivers who are massively responsible (at 68%) for these accidents, but the proportions of these accidents caused by a distracted pedestrian (15%) or when the driver and a pedestrian are both distracted (17%) are not negligible.
The 2016 document from the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), entitled “Detailed profile of facts and statistics affecting pedestrians”, refers to a 2007 Australian study on the observation of pedestrians who use or not use a cell phone while crossing an intersection. We learn that “more than 20% of cell phone users looked at their device while crossing (mostly to send text messages).” Here too, we noted that “the use of a cell phone also influenced walking speed and analysis of traffic before crossing.”
It cites another study carried out in 2008 on the behavior of people using either a cell phone, a walkman or who did not use any device at pedestrian crossings. Not surprisingly, it is reported that “pedestrians using cell phones crossed more often in an unsafe manner than pedestrians in the other two groups. This was almost half (48%) of them, compared to 16% of pedestrians who used a walkman and 25% of pedestrians without a device. We therefore conclude that “using a cell phone while crossing the street seems to inhibit prudent behavior and could represent a danger for pedestrians.”
Although these studies date from 17 and 16 years ago, respectively, it is a safe bet that these behaviors have not improved and that, at best, they have remained stable if we rely on the latest study by University of British Columbia researchers.
Caption and photo credit: A person crosses the street in the rain while looking at their cell phone in Montreal, Friday August 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
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