Technology
Pedestrian injuries sustained while wearing headphones have tripled
[Headphone use and pedestrian injury and death in the United States 2004-2011 Online First 2012 doi10.1136/injuryprev-2011-040161]
The number of cases of serious injury sustained while walking along the street, wearing headphones for a handheld device, such as an iPod or MP3 player, has tripled in six years, shows US research published online in Injury Prevention.
Those affected are predominantly teens and young adults, the figures show.
The researchers mined data from the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Google news archives and a university research database, looking for information on injuries and deaths among pedestrians wearing headphones.
All cases arising in the US between January 2004 and June 2011 were included, and those involving mobile/cell phones, including hands-free devices, were excluded.
During the study period, there were a total of 116 cases, 16 of which occurred in 2004/5. By 2010-11, this figure had risen to 47.
The average age of the victims, over half of whom (55%) were struck by trains, was 21. Around two thirds were male (68%) and under 30 years of age (67%).
Most of the incidents occurred in urban areas. Only around one in 10 cases occurred in rural areas.
Some 81 of the 116 collisions (70%) were fatal. And in three out of four cases, eyewitnesses said the victim was wearing headphones at the time.
In around one in four reports (29%), mention was specifically made of horns or sirens being sounded before the individual was hit.
The authors say that distraction and sensory deprivation, whereby the wearer is unable to hear any external sounds, are the most likely causes.
Distraction caused by the use of electronic devices has been coined ‘inattentional blindness,’ which essentially lowers the resources the brain devotes to external stimuli, they write.
Auditory prompts may be more important than visual ones when using a handheld device, they add.
They admit that their evidence is not comprehensive, and has several limitations, but the use of cell phones and MP3 players is increasing, they caution.
“The risks posed by the use of these devices by drivers are well documented,” they write. “But little is known about the association between headphone use and pedestrian injury.”
Source: BMJ: Injury Prevention
