NEWSCORP: Headphones 'Epidemic' Killing Pedestrians and Cyclists

[human909]

Is this a new low for Newscorp?

HEADPHONES ‘EPIDEMIC’ KILLING PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS

Pay walled article, so I don't know what it says but it does sound like the title says it all.

No. Cars aren't killing pedestrians, nor are car drivers. It headphones! Looks like the Victoria police are in on the act too with blaming the victim. You think they'd have learnt after their blunder last weekend. Though I doubt this time you'd get state politicians standing up against victim blaming.

The hypocrisy compared to insulated cars and loud car stereos is unbelievable.

[AUbicycles]

I'll trade you another paywalled article by bloomberg... but a readable quote is
"You're more likely to be struck by lightning” than killed by a cyclist"

I realise this is slightly off topic but it was dealing with sensationalism which is what happens a lot when it comes to the single-file campaign by that fellow who keepings on manipulating the photos. Far easier to talk about than boring and real issues.


And a comment on a single person wanting to read a single article from an otherwise irrelevant publication.... how clever is it to suggest a 6 months subscription (at less than 50 cents a day)... making the cost of reading a single article $90.

Would it not be clever to to provide a one-off purchase (and maybe offer deals), but start with getting them through the door and then showing them some alternatives.

[human909]

I'll trade you another paywalled article by bloomberg... but a readable quote is
"You're more likely to be struck by lightning” than killed by a cyclist"

Here is some more extensive research on that matter as linked in a recent thread here.
http://acrs.org.au/wp-content/uploads/G ... -Risk..pdf

"This comparison indicates that the risk of a pedestrian being struck down by a bicyclist and killed is currently less than the risk of being struck by lightning (0.1 chances of fatality per million person years), 23 times less likely than tripping on a footpath or roadway (1.15 chances of fatality per million person years), 200 times less likely being involved in an airline crash (10 chances of fatality per million person years), and 700 times less likely than being struck and killed by a motor vehicle (35 chances of fatality per million person years)."

[nemo57]

Err, headphones don't kill people: people kill people.

[Cheesewheel]

Err, headphones don't kill people: people kill people.

Although there is evidence that footpaths kill people (when they trip over while walking).
Bathtubs too.

[you cannot be sirrus]

I agree that it is shameful victim blaming but I would never ride with earphones.
I've only got 2 senses altering me to motorists and I ain't going to compromise one of them for a few tunes.

[Jmuzz]

Meanwhile cars are so insulated that emergency vehicles are now being fitted with "rumblers", mechanical subwoofers which make the whole car and lungs vibrate so you don't need to "hear" it.

[AdelaidePeter]

What epidemic? (Correction: what NEW epidemic?) Pedestrian deaths are more or less steady.

[AdelaidePeter]

I can see the article without a paywall here https://www.news.com.au/national/breaki ... 49e20666ad
It partly says "Victoria Police says more pedestrians have died in the first six months of 2018 compared to 2017 - 17 this year compared to 11 in 2017." which is true - but only because the first 5-6 months of 2017 were particularly good (or less bad). I don't have the June numbers, but here are the first 5 months of the last few years. In fact for Victoria, 2018 is lower than every previous year except 2017. It then says without any evidence, "It's believed pedestrian distractions such as headphones have been a contributor to the spike in deaths." Nothing to see here, just a beatup.

[Jmuzz]

Headphones are nothing new, though I guess noise cancelling gets better.

But as pointed out there is no spike, 2017 was just particularity good.
Instead of trying to blame things for a spike there should be more focus on what was working in early 2017 and try to get that working again once identified.

[g-boaf]

Meanwhile cars are so insulated that emergency vehicles are now being fitted with "rumblers", mechanical subwoofers which make the whole car and lungs vibrate so you don't need to "hear" it.

I think that is also for the pedestrians with noise cancelling headphones on who also have their head buried in their phone screen. Some of those people just walk straight out against red crossing lights without even looking.

[Scintilla]

Meanwhile cars are so insulated that emergency vehicles are now being fitted with "rumblers", mechanical subwoofers which make the whole car and lungs vibrate so you don't need to "hear" it.

I think that is also for the pedestrians with noise cancelling headphones on who also have their head buried in their phone screen. Some of those people just walk straight out against red crossing lights without even looking.

Being shown to be a rather spurious claim often made. Probably yet another case of the car-centric mindset - pedestrians get in drivers' way, don't you know?

https://www.curbed.com/2018/6/21/174770 ... -crosswalk

[g-boaf]

Meanwhile cars are so insulated that emergency vehicles are now being fitted with "rumblers", mechanical subwoofers which make the whole car and lungs vibrate so you don't need to "hear" it.

I think that is also for the pedestrians with noise cancelling headphones on who also have their head buried in their phone screen. Some of those people just walk straight out against red crossing lights without even looking.

Being shown to be a rather spurious claim often made. Probably yet another case of the car-centric mindset - pedestrians get in drivers' way, don't you know?

https://www.curbed.com/2018/6/21/174770 ... -crosswalk

I should have taken video of the guy walking straight across Loftus Street Sydney at the traffic lights (against the red crossing light) nearly get himself wiped out by a truck. It was very close, only the fact that he looked up just in time and then ran as fast as he could saved him.

I can get a heap of witnesses if you don't believe it.

It was incredible to see him just walk straight out without even looking up from his phone. And with those big headphones on, he wouldn't have been able to hear anything else.

As a pedestrian myself, I get fed up with these people too engrossed with their text messages to look where they are walking when they near walk into me. It drives me mad.

[Audioio]

News Corpse is in league with the fossil fuel lobby (and the rest of the planet-destroying 1%-ers). Is anyone really surprised about that headline?

[human909]

As a pedestrian myself, I get fed up with these people too engrossed with their text messages to look where they are walking when they near walk into me. It drives me mad.

Sounds terrible. It's just like those damn gents in the 1900s too engrossed in their newspaper s and almost bumping into other people.


Seriously yes sometimes when your in a rush to get somewhere such pedestrians can be annoying. But take a breath, relax. It's hardly something to get mad about.

The big picture is still the hundreds of road deaths. Worse is blaming the victims.

[Scintilla]

It was incredible to see him just walk straight out without even looking up from his phone. And with those big headphones on, he wouldn't have been able to hear anything else.

Normal practice in Italy!



As a pedestrian myself, I get fed up with these people too engrossed with their text messages to look where they are driving when they near drive over me. It drives me mad.

[g-boaf]

As a pedestrian myself, I get fed up with these people too engrossed with their text messages to look where they are walking when they near walk into me. It drives me mad.

Sounds terrible. It's just like those damn gents in the 1900s too engrossed in their newspaper s and almost bumping into other people.


Seriously yes sometimes when your in a rush to get somewhere such pedestrians can be annoying. But take a breath, relax. It's hardly something to get mad about.

The big picture is still the hundreds of road deaths. Worse is blaming the victims.

I don't walk around with my eyes glued to the damned phone screen. Can't people just not be connected to their text messages or facebook for a few minutes?

How did they ever manage in the old days when social media and smart phones didn't exist?

[eeksll]

How did they ever manage in the old days when social media and smart phones didn't exist?

the newspaper !

[human909]

[fat and old]

I call BS. The readers are standing still. I can remember scenes close to that as a little kid, and very few if any would walk with a broadsheet open. You’d get knocked about or knock into others.

Simply, people had better manners,

[mikesbytes]

Did the article suggest that it should be mandated that motorists drive with the windows down so they can hear?

What about deaf people, should they be banned from public spaces?

[human909]

Simply, people had better manners,

I think you are being funny. But I'm not sure I'm my subtle humour detector is working or not.

Distracted people walking have been around, well since people started walking. The less concentration the environment needs to progress without harm or significant issue the more likely people are to occupy themselves with another task.

[JPB]

Ok, yes it was an eye catching headline but there is a grain of truth in there.
Spend enough time walking in the Sydney CBD (and it will the same elsewhere) and you will see people to busy looking at their screens to watch where they are walking. Some times when I am feeling nasty rather than getting out of their way I stop and let them walk into me.

[human909]

Grain of truth? You must have a microscope.

You statement implies that people staring a their phone while walking is something that shouldn't be done.

Why hasn't really been explained.

I don't see collisions left right and centre between pedestrians and other pedestrians or vehicles.

The evidence that is very much clear in the data is that pedestrians are often being hit by turning cars failing to give way.

Earphones and mobile devices are just deferring the blame.

[g-boaf]

Ok, yes it was an eye catching headline but there is a grain of truth in there.
Spend enough time walking in the Sydney CBD (and it will the same elsewhere) and you will see people to busy looking at their screens to watch where they are walking. Some times when I am feeling nasty rather than getting out of their way I stop and let them walk into me.

Yes, I've done that too on a couple of occasions. Why should I have to walk off onto the road or jump out of the way because someone can't look away from their all important text messages or facebook/twitter feeds. I don't work in the CBD anymore so it's not as bad where I am now.