BIKE OR WALKBIKE OR WALK DISTRACTEDDISTRACTED

WE’RE ALL WE’RE ALL IMPACTEDIMPACTED

Presented by: Jay Anderson, TSP. Executive Director, Stay Alive …. Just Drive!, Inc.

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"It's not just distracted drivers. We focus a lot on distracted drivers, but we also need to focus on distracted walkers and joggers,” said Jonathan Adkins, a spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices.

A Carnegie Mellon study A Carnegie Mellon study demonstrated that talking on demonstrated that talking on the cell phone while driving the cell phone while driving reduces the amount of brain reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving activity associated with driving by 37 %. Now I think we can by 37 %. Now I think we can safely say that text messaging safely say that text messaging or talking on the cell phone or talking on the cell phone while cycling or walking is no while cycling or walking is no different.different.

Richard Wener, a professor of Richard Wener, a professor of environmental psychology at the environmental psychology at the Polytechnic Institute of New York Polytechnic Institute of New York University, says the emerging body University, says the emerging body of research on distracted drivers of research on distracted drivers led him and two colleagues to look led him and two colleagues to look at pedestrians. I’m including at pedestrians. I’m including bicyclists.bicyclists.

Not surprisingly they found the Not surprisingly they found the same relationship between same relationship between inattention and risk, but a greater inattention and risk, but a greater VULNERABILITY VULNERABILITY

Preventable Tragic ExamplesPreventable Tragic Examples:

• Lisa Caroyln MoranLisa Caroyln Moran, 20, a University of North Carolina exchange , 20, a University of North Carolina exchange student from Scotland, was listening to an iPod while jogging when student from Scotland, was listening to an iPod while jogging when she stepped into the path of a bus in Chapel Hill, NCshe stepped into the path of a bus in Chapel Hill, NC

•Joshua Phillips WhiteJoshua Phillips White, 16 was wearing earphones and walking on a , 16 was wearing earphones and walking on a train track in Cramerton, NC., when a freight train hit him from train track in Cramerton, NC., when a freight train hit him from behind, police said he apparently didn’t hear the locomotive behind, police said he apparently didn’t hear the locomotive approaching. approaching. Alan Eaton-ChandlerAlan Eaton-Chandler, 17, was killed under similar , 17, was killed under similar circumstances when he was hit by an Amtrak train in Comstock circumstances when he was hit by an Amtrak train in Comstock Township, MITownship, MI

•Vicky BakerVicky Baker, 39 was talking on her cell phone when she was struck , 39 was talking on her cell phone when she was struck and killed by a train in Albertville, AL. and killed by a train in Albertville, AL.

The Distracted Bicyclist A RECIPE FOR DISASTER

The Distracted Bicyclist A RECIPE FOR The Distracted Bicyclist A RECIPE FOR DISASTERDISASTER

NOT A GOOD SIGNNOT A GOOD SIGN

A 9-year-old La Grange girl told police she was looking at her cell phone just before her bicycle ran into the rear of a car at 50th Street and Ninth Avenue at about 5:26 p.m. May 14.

The girl was riding east on 50th Street when the front tire of the bicycle hit the left rear quarter panel of a northbound 2002 Saturn driven by a 55-year-old La Grange man. That driver told La Grange police he thought the bicyclist was going at a high speed.

Who is getting killed in bicycling Who is getting killed in bicycling crashes?crashes?

A detailed breakdown of the age, gender, and location of bicycle A detailed breakdown of the age, gender, and location of bicycle crash victims is available from crash victims is available from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some of the . Some of the more noteworthy trends and numbers are:more noteworthy trends and numbers are:

•In 2009 the average age of bicyclists killed in crashes with motor In 2009 the average age of bicyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles was 41 years, up from 32 years in 1998, and 24 in 1988.vehicles was 41 years, up from 32 years in 1998, and 24 in 1988.

•87 percent of those killed were male.87 percent of those killed were male.

•64 percent of those killed were between the ages of 25 and 64; 13 64 percent of those killed were between the ages of 25 and 64; 13 percent of those killed in 2008 were under age 16, down from 30 percent of those killed in 2008 were under age 16, down from 30 percent of those killed in 1998.percent of those killed in 1998.

•The average age of bicyclists injured in crashes with motor The average age of bicyclists injured in crashes with motor vehicles was 31 years, up from 24 years in 1998.vehicles was 31 years, up from 24 years in 1998.

•80 percent of those injured were male.80 percent of those injured were male.

•51 percent of those injured were between the ages of 25 and 64; 51 percent of those injured were between the ages of 25 and 64; 20 percent of those injured were under age 16.20 percent of those injured were under age 16.

Time to stop thisTime to stop this

And start doing thisAnd start doing this

Jay Anderson