British AA warns of ‘iPod oblivion’ deaths

08 Aug 10 03:56 by Randomus in category MP3 players

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Research from the British Automobile Association discovered there are 17 auto accidents every day related to an ‘iPod Oblivion’ that poses dangers to motorists and pedestrians.

The British research group believes as many as 26,887 pedestrian casualties and 500 pedestrian deaths were caused due to simple lack of attention in 2009 alone. The 17 accident-per-day average is a 5 percent increase year-over-year, and pedestrian inattention continues to rise.

“We can’t stop the march of technology but we need to halt the ‘iPod pedestrian, cycle and driver zombies’. Whether on two feet, two wheels or four, too many people are suffering from so-called ‘iPod oblivion,’” said Edmund King, AA president, in a statement.

Meanwhile, analyzing AA Insurance claims from the past 12-month cycle ending July 30th, 177 pedestrian inattention collisions took place, with one confirmed fatality. Incidents such as pedestrians using their phone and/or listening to music while crossing the street or intersection without paying attention contribute to the problem.

Another issue with listening to iPods and other music players, according to experts, is the danger of being mugged for the snazzy electronics. British police published a report a few years ago stating that robberies of MP3 players and phones have increased 40 percent in certain parts of the country.

Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians need to look out for one another while also taking care of themselves. If cyclists or pedestrians are too busy texting and listening to music while using a public road, accidents seem inevitable.

Many states that have banned using phones without handsfree devices while driving also plan to issue similar laws for cyclists — taking things a step further, some police agencies have launched crackdowns against cyclists wearing earbuds in both ears.

It’s sometimes sad to see more “nanny state” laws go into effect, but if it saves a significant number of lives, it might be worth it.

9 Comments on British AA warns of ‘iPod oblivion’ deaths

Zod: Posts: 724; Posted on: 08 Aug 10 06:16

yes cause no one crashed try to mess with their tape deck/cd players instead of focusing on the road.. lol.. its nothing new.. just a new technology

ivid: Posts: 725; Posted on: 08 Aug 10 16:55

Zod, of course it's new and becoming far worse each day.Now it's the pedestrians, skateboarders etc.. who are oblivious and hypnotized by their devices and leading to more accidents. My family had a converstion about this exact subject at dinner the other evening, about how kids/teens are so oblivious, riding bikes, skateboarding or pedestrians just not paying attention, while texting or listening to their iPod.

Young people these days are far too absorbed by their devices, texting, iPod music etc,.. There was a story in Montreal this week about a stupid teenager who abandoned her 5 year old brother at a busy intersection and crossed the street without him because she was too fixated on her iPod/iPhone. A journalist witnessed it, rescued the kid as he tried to cross alone, then wrote the story to expose just how idiotic kids & teens are behaving with their devices these days. The teen didn't even care after the fact, she was fixated on her device.

I see this kind of behavior everywhere so it's not a case of one stupid teenager.

Zod: Posts: 724; Posted on: 08 Aug 10 19:01

In interpreted the article as relating to vehicle collisions.

I do agree with you on some of your statements. Allthough if pedestrians use their eyes before crossing a street, they should be fine. Bikers on the other hand, seems like a really bad idea to put on earphones, as you need the sounds around you to know whats going on.

Then again people used to have walkmans as well, so its not an entirely new issue. Albeit mp3 players are much lighter and portable.

I guess I don't think new portable devices are to blame. People were doing stupid things way before the ipod came around. I'm sure people have left their kid on the other side of the street without an ipod involved.

It seems to me that every generation has a whole bunch of low iq people that do dumb things. It seems someones trying to blame it on the ipods, rather then the user.

RichMan: Posts: 1134; Posted on: 09 Aug 10 00:01

I agree Zod. It's not the technology, it's the idiots using the technology.

When I get a cell phone call while driving, 99% of the time I either pull over or just wait until I get to where I am going and then call back. No sense taking chances with my life or the life of others that might be on the road with me.

It amazes me how many people do the opposite.

RM

ivid: Posts: 725; Posted on: 09 Aug 10 16:11

Yes it's the people who are being stupid. That sure was my point. Or, oblivious as was the point of the article. You don't blame the gun for shooting, you blame the shooter. But the nature of the technology is very addictive (texting for one) and doesn't help the matter. Texting didn't exist a few years ago. Ahhhh take me back to the days before texting. PLEASE !

This subject has become a big problem today because there are 10's of millions more iPhones / iPods / mp3 players now then there were 10 years ago. It's a sheer matter of volume hence the stats showing a rise in accidents.

It's not only about being stupid. A kid with an iPod sitting safely on the sidewalk won't hear the car that lost control heading towards him. Thats an extreme example but factor in that there are 100 million more iPod zombies out there and you can see why there is concern about masses of "oblivious" people out there.