Phrase: distracted walking (hypothesized cause of pedestrian deaths)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Distracted driving is old news.
Now: Distracted walking: Threat or menace?

Website: Los Angeles Times
Article title: Rise in pedestrian deaths may be due to texting while walking
Article subtitle: Cities can apply for $2 million in federal grants to
combat 'distracted walking,' which may have contributed to a recent
increase in pedestrian deaths in traffic accidents.
Author: Marina Villeneuve
Timestamp: August 5, 2013, 9:10 p.m.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pedestrian-safety-20130806,0,643932.story

[Begin excerpt]
WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation announced steps Monday
to combat a recent rise in pedestrian deaths that it said was
partially due to what Secretary Anthony Foxx called "distracted
walking."

Walking while texting or listening to music, or while on drugs, may
have contributed to the increase, Foxx said.

"Distracted driving, distracted walking, if that can be a phrase. …
Their behaviors as they are driving or walking can impact our ability
to keep people safe," Foxx said.

After decades of fewer pedestrians being killed in traffic crashes,
deaths rose from 4,109 in 2009 to 4,432 in 2011, and 69,000 were
injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.

New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have the highest percentage of
pedestrians killed relative to all traffic deaths. Pedestrians
comprise 51% of all motor vehicle deaths in New York, 42% in Los
Angeles and 30% in Chicago.
[End excerpt]

(The phrase "Threat or menace" has an entry in Wikipedia, I noticed.
Wikipedia: exhaustive or exhausting?)

Garson

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