LOS ANGELES — People who wear headphones might want to ditch them while walking outside. A study finds that accidents involving pedestrians wearing the devices have tripled in recent years.
Researchers combed several sources to find incidents in the U.S. of crashes involving pedestrians and vehicles from 2004 to 2011. They found 116 cases of death or injury involving pedestrians wearing headphones. Cases in which people were using mobile phones (including hands-free devices) were excluded.
Over the years the number of cases increased, from 16 in 2004 and 2005 to 47 in 2010 and 2011. The victims’ average age was 21 and most (68 percent) were male. The majority (67 percent) were under the age of 30. Most (55 percent) were hit by trains, and 70 percent of the crashes, mostly in urban areas, were fatal.
Denver Post wire services
