The Minneapolis Tribune reported that we are at a 25 year high for pedestrian deaths:
Determining the cause of the spike is challenging, but state officials noted this fall that distracted driving crashes appeared to be on the rise. Police in some cities, like St. Paul, have stepped up enforcement of traffic laws to try to protect pedestrians.
That growth is linked to cellphone distractions and parallels the eightfold increase in cellphone use in the past 15 years. The Urban Dictionary has added a new term – “petextrian.”:
n. One who texts while walking, usually unaware of their surroundings
To be intexticated is the equivalent of being drunk and distracted while walking and driving. To be to busy on the cellphone. Walking into the street, cars , or even fixed objects, such as stop signs. It is time to get your head up and out of the phone.
The message needs to be heard over and over until it sinks in.
