Kelcie Ralph, PhD

Kelcie.ralph@ejb.rutgers.edu

To Save Lives,
Change Crash Coverage

@kmralph
@kmralph
@kmralph
@kmralph
 Three pieces of advice

Say “A driver hit a pedestrian.”

Connect the dots between crashes.

Focus on real issues & solutions.

@kmralph
“A pedestrian was hit.”

Pedestrian is the focus. ¾

No agent. 1/3

Object based language 4x

@kmralph
 “A pedestrian was hit.”

“A driver hit a pedestrian

(with a car).”

@kmralph
 Share of blame
for person walking

“A pedestrian was hit.” 43%

“A driver hit a pedestrian.” 30%

@kmralph
 Three pieces of advice

Say “A driver hit a pedestrian.”

Connect the dots between crashes.

Focus on real safety issues.

@kmralph
Episodic framing Thematic framing

@kmralph
 16%
16%

Episodic framing Thematic framing

@kmralph
Share of blame
“Other
factors”
7%

17%

@kmralph
 Increases support for:

Pedestrian infrastructure and lower speeds

Driver enforcement

Willingness to trade lower speeds for fewer deaths

@kmralph
Questions?

Kelcie Ralph, PhD

Kelcie.ralph@ejb.rutgers.edu

@kmralph
 Three pieces of advice

Say “A driver hit a pedestrian.”

Connect the dots between crashes.

Focus on real issues & solutions.

@kmralph
 “Texting, music put distracted pedestrians at risk”
“Study: Distracted Walking Causes More Injuries than
Distracted Driving”
“Rise in ped deaths may be due to texting while
walking”
“Study: Cell phone-related injuries soar”
“The dangers of distracted walking”
“New research shows danger of distracted walking”
“Distracted walking” can have deadly consequences
“Texting and walking isn’t funny anymore”
“Distracted walking: Growing phone-related danger”
@kmralph
 “Texting, music put distracted pedestrians at risk”
“Study: Distracted Walking Causes More
Injuries than Distracted Driving”
“Rise in ped deaths may be due to texting while
walking”
“Study: Cell phone-related injuries soar”
“The dangers of distracted walking”
“New research shows danger of distracted walking”
“Distracted walking” can have deadly consequences
“Texting and walking isn’t funny anymore”
“Distracted walking: Growing phone-related danger”
@kmralph
 57%
47%

26%
4%
ng ng g s n
i i ru tio
al
k
e ed l/ d tt e
n
w Sp ho a
t ed lc
o in
c e r
st ra A iv
Di Dr
@kmralph
 Publication bias and hype

“imminent “does impact ability to

threat to safety” successfully navigate a street
Mwakalonge et al. (2015) crossing.”
Neider et al. (2010)

@kmralph
Many people walk distracted.

11 % on headphones

7% looking at screen

6% talking on phone

@kmralph
Stay in crosswalk?
Look both ways?
Recognize gaps?
Cross more slowly?

@kmralph
Stay in crosswalk? X  
Look both ways? X
Recognize gaps? X
Cross more slowly? X Yes Yes

@kmralph
 Observe Conduct an Analyze
pedestrians. experiment. crash data.

@kmralph
Just one observational study on
safety while distracted
(Nasar et al. 2008)

48%
of people on a phone
crossed unsafely

@kmralph
 But…

Only 25 people on a phone.

Only 11 had a car approaching.
Only 9 stepped off the curb.

Yet somehow 12 people

were at risk of getting hit???

@kmralph
 Observe Conduct an Analyze
pedestrians. experiment. crash data.

Hit or nearly hit?

Mixed results from a

meta-review of 17
studies

@kmralph
 Observe Conduct an Analyze
pedestrians. experiment. crash data.

Likely ~5-
10%

Certainly
<20%

@kmralph
 More people. More driving.

SUVs

Distracted driving.

Americans moved to riskier places

@kmralph
 “Texting, music put distracted pedestrians at risk”
“Study: Distracted Walking Causes More Injuries than
Distracted Driving”
“Rise in ped deaths may be due to texting while
walking”
“Study: Cell phone-related injuries soar”
“The dangers of distracted walking”
“New research shows danger of distracted walking”
“Distracted walking” can have deadly consequences
“Texting and walking isn’t funny anymore”
“Distracted walking: Growing phone-related danger”
@kmralph
@kmralph
 Three pieces of advice

Say “A driver hit a pedestrian.”

Connect the dots between crashes.

Focus on real issues & solutions.

@kmralph
Thank you.

Kelcie Ralph, PhD

Kelcie.ralph@ejb.rutgers.edu

@kmralph
 1/3
of transport practitioners
believe distracted walking is a

LARGE PROBLEM,
responsible for

40%
of pedestrian deaths.

@kmralph
Preferred safety solutions
among those who believe distracted walking is a LARGE problem

Educate pedestrians 38%

Educate drivers 11%

Provide ped infrastructure

Enforce rules for drivers

Lower speed limits -18%

Reduce speeds via design -26%

-30% -20% -10% 0% 10% 20% 30%

Difference relative to NOT a problem (n=52)

The “distracted walking” frame

… is inconsistent with Vision Zero.

… increases policing.
… narrows the call to action.

@kmralph