Pedestrian Deaths Rise in Minnesota

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The number of pedestrians struck and killed rose in Minnesota a year after it had dropped, and officials say distracted walking appears to be a big factor.

As of mid-December, the number of pedestrian deaths in 2015 had risen to 38. Pedestrian deaths in the state had dropped to a six-year low of 17 in 2014.

Hundreds more walkers are landing in the emergency room. In December, three pedestrians were hit by light-rail trains in the Twin Cities, with one of them dying.

Safety experts want everyone — drivers and pedestrians — to put down their cellphones and start looking.

The National Safety Council has added cellphone-distracted walking to its data of unintentional deaths and injuries. And while distracted driving gets a lot of attention, new research shows pedestrians are increasingly putting themselves in danger by using cellphones, headphones and tablets.

Pedestrians who are distracted can trip, cross roads unsafely or walk into street signs, according to a NSC report.

Lisa Kons, continuing education coordinator for the Minnesota Safety Council, said cellphone use “reduces situational awareness. You are unaware that you are unaware.”

Kons said peripheral vision drops by 10 percent when someone uses a mobile device, and that’s enough to miss a traffic light or an oncoming car.

Figures from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety show that failure to follow the rules of the road was the most commonly cited factor — 24 percent — in pedestrian crashes in which the person walking was at fault. When drivers were at fault, 31 percent failed to yield the right of way and 20 percent were distracted, according to the data.

Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis has admitted 133 pedestrians due to falls and fractures so far this year. Of that number, 96 were hit in a crosswalk. That’s up from 108 pedestrians admitted last year and 88 in 2011.