PETALING JAYA: As pedestrians become increasingly glued to their screens, international studies show that such distractions are linked to reduced awareness, altered movement and a higher risk of accidents.
A recent study conducted by researchers from Southeast University in Nanjing, China, found that distracted pedestrians faced higher safety risks especially when crossing roads.
The 2024 study analysed 1,778 pedestrian crossings across multiple urban intersections and identified five types of phone use, including screen viewing, typing, voice calls and listening to audio.
It found that those engaged with their devices were less likely to look both ways, had altered crossing speeds and were more prone to near-miss incidents.
Another study published in the ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information in 2020 by Belgian researchers in Belgium’s busy streets found that pedestrians using smartphones displayed significantly reduced visual awareness in public spaces.
The researchers found that handphone users often fixed their gaze on their screens, limiting their ability to detect nearby activity or potential hazards.
Their walking patterns also became slower, less direct and more constrained, a behaviour often described as “smartphone zombies”.
The findings suggested that distraction occurred well before pedestrians even approach a road crossing.
In 2018, a study by Monash University’s Accident Research Centre in Australia found that one in five pedestrians used their phones while crossing roads, with many failing to check for oncoming traffic. Nearly a third of the distracted walkers were involved in safety-critical situations.
In the same year, findings by Taiwanese researchers that were published in BMC Public Health raised the alarm on what they called “inattentional blindness” where pedestrians, especially those engrossed in their devices while playing music, failed to notice obvious hazards.
Similar research by the New York University about 15 years ago showed that mobile phone use significantly reduces situational awareness, affecting memory and reaction time.
