Pedestrians Take Heed: Headphones Increase Vulnerability
January 17, 2012 by Scott McPherson
Filed under Personal Injury Help
When you read about an accident that involves a motor vehicle and a pedestrian it is easy to immediately blame the driver. After all, the pedestrian is unprotected and it is up to the operators of motor vehicles to always be able to make adjustments and avoid accidents.
The fact is that many accidents are avoided every day by drivers who are ready to react to dangerous situations quickly. However, they can’t always do so and they are not always the people who are at fault in pedestrian accidents.
When you are walking or jogging it is important to recognize your responsibility to stay within the laws and allow yourself to be seen. You also have to be ready to react to unusual circumstances just like drivers do. With this in mind you may want to consider leaving your headphones at home when you are walking.
A study was just released that was conducted by the University of Maryland that has found that injury accidents involving pedestrians wearing headphones have increased by 300% over the last seven years.
Dr. Richard Lichenstein was the lead researcher and this is part of what he had to say:
“MP3 usage is common in young adults and teenagers and we found that people wearing headphones are at risk of getting hit and having injury or death. These are pedestrians getting hit by cars, trains, trucks, vans, buses and things like that.”
Obviously it can be nice to listen to music when you are out walking. But when you figure it all out, the pleasure that you experience may not be worth the risk.
If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.
