April 12, 2008
Kids With Cell Phones Not as Safe Crossing Streets
Unintentional pedestrian injury is a leading cause of death in middle childhood, reports Washington Post reporting on a study that claims children who talk on a cell phone may not be able to cross the road safely.
Children who are distracted this way may be more likely to be hit by a vehicle or cross streets in an unsafe manner.
... In one study, seventy-seven children aged 10 to 12 were set up in a virtual-reality environment which simulated a street with traffic coming from both directions. Children stood on a platform (the "curb"). When they stepped down from the curb, an avatar crossed the virtual street in their place.
Children practiced the exercise six times while talking on a cell phone and six times while not talking on a cell phone.
"The children who were on the cell phone and were distracted during their crossing were significantly more likely to get hit by a car in the virtual environment," author Katherine Byington reported. "They were getting hit or almost getting hit at least [once], while the kids that weren't on the cell phone didn't get hit [at all]."
Related: - Chicago Lawmakers propose crosswalk cell phone ban
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