Teenagers Can’t Text and Cross the Street at the Same Time

A new report from Safe Kids Worldwide indicates that kids and teens, aged 10-19, are the most at risk for pedestrian accidents. This is a new trend because, historically, younger children between the ages of five and nine were more likely to be involved in an accident. Researchers attribute the changes to texting and walking or talking and walking. They suggest that the older kids are more preoccupied while walking around, thus increasing the likelihood that they’re involved in such an accident.

Yet among those 16 to 19, the actual number of injuries spiked 25 percent for the period 2006 to 2010 compared with the previous five years, researchers found.

The story was similar locally. In Pennsylvania, among pedestrians of all ages, those 5 to 9 had the highest percent of injuries in 2000, according to the state Department of Transportation. By 2010, those most likely to sustain an injury were 10 to 19. [Inquirer]