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Pedestrians Listening to iPods Causing Serious Injuries, Fatalities

A new study shows that pedestrians listening to music on their iPods are causing injuries and deaths. The research from the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine and the University Of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore shows that serious pedestrian injuries have tripled in six years.

The findings show that in many cases, cars and trains are beeping their horns but pedestrians cannot hear them when they have their earphones in. This leads to fatalities in nearly three-quarters of cases.

"Everybody is aware of the risk of cell phones and texting in automobiles, but I see more and more teens distracted with the latest devices and headphones in their ears," says lead author Richard Lichenstein, associate professor of pediatrics at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine.

The study looked at 116 accidents from 2004 to 2011 in which pedestrians were hit by trains or vehicles. They found that in 70 percent of the cases, the pedestrian was killed. More than half of the moving vehicles involved in the accidents were trains and almost a third of the vehicle reported using their horn to warn the pedestrian. More than two-thirds of victims were male and under the age of 30.

"The increased incidence of accidents over the years closely corresponds to documented rising popularity of auditory technologies with headphones," the university says in a statement.

The study was prompted after a teenager was killed crossing railroad tracks while wearing headphones. The train was honking and she did not avoid the oncoming train.

Alert your children and teenagers of the dangers of wearing headphones while walking on busy streets near motor vehicles and/or trains.