Distracted walking: Texting puts pedestrians at risk

New research from the University of British Columbia (UBC) confirms that distracted pedestrians are at a significantly higher risk of injury compared to those who remain attentive while navigating busy streets, 

The research provides concrete evidence that pedestrians distracted by activities such as texting or talking on the phone face a greater danger of vehicle interaction, validating prior assumptions about the risks of distracted walking.

Global issue of road safety 

The study authors noted that road safety continues to be a pressing global issue, with pedestrians accounting for 23% of traffic fatalities worldwide.

“Pedestrians are considered vulnerable road users who have little to no protection when interacting with vehicles, which makes crashes involving them considerably more severe.”

Distracted pedestrians at risk

“Several studies have developed pedestrian-vehicle interaction models. However, these studies failed to consider pedestrian distraction, which considerably influences the safety of these interactions,” noted the study authors. 

“Utilizing data from two intersections in Vancouver, Canada, this research uses the Multi-agent Adversarial Inverse Reinforcement Learning (MA-AIRL) framework to make inferences about the behavioral dynamics of distracted and non-distracted pedestrians while interacting with vehicles.” 

The research shows that distracted pedestrians often remain unaware of their surroundings, making fewer adjustments to their path or speed. This lack of awareness increases the likelihood of a more severe interaction with vehicles, resulting in a 45% higher chance of close calls or near misses.

Walking without distraction 

“Non-distracted pedestrians made safer choices when interacting with vehicles,” explained Tarek Sayed, the lead researcher, a civil engineering professor and transportation safety expert in UBC’s Faculty of Applied Science. 

“They maintained greater distances from vehicles, yielded more frequently to oncoming traffic, and adjusted their speed when necessary.”

How drivers respond to distracted pedestrians 

The study also found that drivers behaved differently when encountering distracted pedestrians. Drivers tended to slow down as they approached these individuals, recognizing the unpredictable behavior that comes with distraction.

The research used advanced tools like a computer vision system developed at UBC and artificial intelligence simulation models to analyze video data from two bustling intersections in downtown Vancouver. 

The analysis focused on distracted pedestrians – those using their phones to text, talk, or listen to music – and pedestrians who were not distracted, as well as traffic conflicts where road users are on a collision course.

Pedestrian safety interventions 

The study’s findings could be crucial in shaping pedestrian safety interventions and traffic models. 

Study co-author Tala Alsharif, a graduate student in civil engineering at UBC, suggests that this data could be used to adjust crosswalk signal cycles or introduce audio signals to alert distracted pedestrians when it’s time to cross the street. 

“City planners could also display warnings specifically for pedestrians distracted by their phones – perhaps even introduce mobile notifications that prevent pedestrians from using their phones while crossing,” Alsharif said.

Strategies to reduce pedestrian risks

The study also proposes solutions for improving infrastructure design. For example, identifying high-risk zones where pedestrian distraction is common could allow for the implementation of sensor-based alert systems. Raised crosswalks might also make pedestrians more visible to drivers in such areas.

“By incorporating our findings into future research and traffic management approaches, we’ll be better able to assess pedestrian risks and develop strategies to improve road safety,” said co-author Gabriel Lanzaro, a graduate student at UBC.

The study highlights the growing need to address distracted walking as cities continue to expand, and traffic interactions become more complex. 

More effective safety interventions 

The insights gained from this research could pave the way for smarter infrastructure design and more effective safety interventions aimed at keeping pedestrians safer in increasingly busy urban environments.

“These findings emphasize the importance of refining pedestrian simulation models to include the unique behavioral patterns from pedestrian distractions. This should assist in further examining the safety impacts of pedestrian distraction on the road environment,” the authors concluded.

The study is published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention

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