Center for Urban Transportation Research | University of South Florida

Understanding of Safety Impact and Potential Causes of Distracted Walking and Biking

Pei-Sung Lin, Ph.D., P.E. PTOE

2

3

Background

• There were 4,743 pedestrians and 726 bicyclists with a total of 5,469killed, which accounted for 16.3% of total fatalities in U.S. in 2012 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2012)

• There were 125,000 pedestrian and bicyclists injured in U.S. in 2012 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2012)

• More pedestrian and bicyclists were observed wearing headphones/headsets or using mobile devices in busy urban intersections or public transportation transfer areas

• Distracted driving is a serious issue to address, so are distracted walking and cycling.

4

Three Recent Studies on Pedestrian

and Bicyclist Distractions

1. Distracted Walking (The Ohio State University, 2013)

2. Florida Statewide Observational Survey of Pedestrian, Bicyclists and Drivers (CUTR at University of South Florida, 2014)

3. University Campus Observational Surveys(CUTR at University of South Florida, 2014)

5

Distracted Walking Study

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/distractwalk.htm

• Distracted Walking: Injuries Soar for Pedestrians on Phones

• Cell phone use is not just dangerous for drivers, but also for pedestrians

• Young people age 16 to 25 were most likely to be injured as distracted pedestrians

• Most were hurt while talking on phone rather than texting

Research and Innovation Communications, The Ohio State University

6

Florida Statewide Observational Survey(2013-2014)

• Top 10 high priority counties representing

54% population, 59% pedestrian crashes, 58% bicycle crashes

in 2012

• 107 sites selected considering pedestrian crash hot spots and bicycle crash hot spots

• 3 hours of observation at each site

• 7,116 observations

7

Florida Statewide Observational Survey(2013-2014)

8

Florida Statewide Observational Survey(2013-2014)

9

Florida Statewide Observational Survey(2013-2014)

10

University Campus Observational Surveys

• Two observational surveys were conducted, the first one in August and the second one in September

• There were 14,738observations of pedestrians and bicyclists

11

• 24% of people when they crossed alone were distracted

• 49% of people when they crossed in a group were distracted

University Campus Observational Surveys

12

University Campus Observational Surveys

1313

• Earphone and talking on phone were predominant causes of distraction for people crossing along

• Talking to person was the major cause of distraction for people crossing in group

• Talking on mobile devices was more than texting

University Campus Observational Surveys

Major Findings

14

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Traffic safety problem caused by distracted pedestrians and bicyclists are increasingly evident.

• Young people aged between 16 and 25 are most likely to be injured as distracted pedestrians.

• A recent Florida statewide observational survey showed about 20% of pedestrians and bicyclists were distracted with 19% for pedestrians and 21% for bicyclists.

• USF Campus-wide observational surveys indicated that 24% of pedestrians and bicyclists were distracted when they crossed along, and 49% were distracted when they crossed in a group.

15

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Headphone use and talking on mobile devices were predominant causes of distraction for people crossing alone.

• Talking to others in the group was the major cause of distraction for people crossing in a group.

• Young people have much higher distraction rates when walking and bicycling than those from other age groups.

• The findings from this study are recommended to be used for developing proper countermeasures and educational campaigns.

16

Any Questions?

Contact Information

Pei-Sung Lin, Ph.D., P.E., PTOEProgram Director

ITS, Traffic Operations and SafetyCenter for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)

University of South FloridaPhone: (813) 974-4910Email: lin@cutr.usf.edu