Phrase: distracted walking (hypothesized cause of pedestrian deaths)

[Laurence Horn]

ABC World News Tonight also had a segment on recently about the hazards of "drunk walking".  Apparently 40% or so of pedestrian fatalities (I don't recall the details) involve pedestrians with a blood alcohol level over the limit for driving.  We can add that to "drunk dialing" (which I first noticed when it was referenced in the movie "Sideways").

LH

On Aug 9, 2013, at 11:57 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:

> 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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