Why Crossing the Road is No Place for Distractions

Crossing the road, any road is something that parents take plenty of time teaching their children to do safely. Always looking both ways and watching out for cars is an important skill for children. Dangers of crossing the street don’t end simply because you become an adult. Teaching children to stay alert to their surroundings and practicing alertness as adults is very important for safety.

Unfortunately, distractions are everywhere and especially with the many types of technology we have, staying alert is becoming much harder. When the pokemon game blew up years back, there were no limits to the stories of people staring at their phones and not even knowing they were crossing a busy highway. As a result, injuries skyrocketed. Studies have shown that when you are out and about, and especially crossing a street, distractions such as texting or listening to music make you two times more likely to be hit by a vehicle.

Talking on the phone increases your risk of being hit while crossing the street versus not having any distractions. When you are talking on the phone, at least your eyes are up and looking around you. Texting has been shown to be one of the worst activities. Texting makes you more than four times more likely to be hit while crossing the road versus not being distracted at all. 

Even if your hands are free, and your eyes are not distracted you may still not have all your resources to safely cross the street. Research indicates that we need to use our sense of hearing with our sight to anticipate dangers and safely complete tasks like crossing the street. Meaning the use of earbuds or earphones to listen to music is similarly a distracting act and unsafe. One study found that 33% of pedestrians were hit while they crossed the street listening to music. 

How Can You And Your Family Stay Safe While Walking Around Phoenix?

If you are a parent of a child that has a phone or listens to music talk with them about how distracting this behavior is. Tell them about the risks and instruct them on the importance of staying alert to their environment. Not only is it critically important to be aware of your surroundings to avoid accidents like being hit by a moving vehicle, but in general knowing any dangers or hazards around you will keep you much safer overall.

Where Can You Find An Arizona Personal Injury Attorney?

If you have been hit by a car because of distractions or negligence, you may not be able to obtain compensation for injuries. The Arizona serious injury lawyers at ELG see many pedestrians that are majorly hurt by no action of their own and we fight to ensure they see their full legal justice. 

If a driver is injured in an accident by stopping suddenly because of a person darts out into the road and an accident results, the pedestrian may be liable for their damages.  The important takeaway is that you have enough hazards to be concerned about as a pedestrian including slip and fall accidents, other people, distracted drivers, and distracted bikers, etc. To keep yourself and your family safe stay attentive and observant to your environment when you are out and about. The bilingual, Spanish-speaking team of Phoenix personal injury attorneys at ELG hopes you and your family stay safe when you are enjoying your time outside.

If you are injured by a negligent party, call us today at (623) 877-3600 to set up your free consultation at either of our locations in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona.