As use of handheld multimedia devices has exploded globally, safety experts have begun to consider the impact of distraction while talking, text-messaging, or listening to music on traffic safety. This study was designed to test how talking on the phone, texting, and listening to music may influence pedestrian safety. 138 college students crossed an interactive, semi-immersive virtual pedestrian street. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: crossing while talking on the phone, crossing while texting, crossing while listening to a personal music device, or crossing while undistracted. Participants distracted by music or texting were more likely to be hit by a vehicle in the virtual pedestrian environment than were undistracted participants. Participants in all three distracted groups were more likely to look away from the street environment (and look toward other places, such as their telephone or music device) than were undistracted participants. Findings were maintained after controlling for demographics, walking frequency, and media use frequency. Distraction from multimedia devices has a small but meaningful impact on college students’ pedestrian safety. Future research should consider the cognitive demands of pedestrian safety, and how those processes may be impacted by distraction. Policymakers might consider ways to protect distracted pedestrians from harm and to reduce the number of individuals crossing streets while distracted.

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Deliberate self-inflicted burn is rare in high-income countries, but is reported more frequently in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Asia and Africa. Rates in Iran are among the highest in the world, with up to 71% of committed suicides conducted via self-immolation in some regions. The objective of this study was to identify the epidemiologic features and factors of self-immolation in Iran to aid in development of effective intervention programs. In a review study, two national databases were analyzed to identify demographic, geographic, cultural, economic, and health-related aspects of self-immolation that may vary across regions of Iran. Demographic information revealed that 27% of suicide cases in Iran were via self-immolation. Of those, 71% were female. The mean age was 29 years. Geographical features of self-immolation indicated that the self-immolation rate was higher in rural areas and in provinces that border the country. Provinces that were involved more intensively in postwar problems feature higher rates of self-immolation. People of Kurdish ethnicity were more likely to engage in self-immolation. Unemployment was a risk factor for self-immolation, while mental disorders and lack of access to health and treatment facilities did not play an important role for increasing the rate of self-immolation. Overall, this study demonstrates that self-immolation is a significant public health problem in some parts of Iran. This study clearly and consistently shows that self-immolation is a complex phenomenon with multiple causes. Various intervention options are discussed to increase coping skills on the individual and community levels. During the long-term, programs and strategies should focus on "macrosocial-based" interventions.

Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16 to 25 years of age (split into 2 groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a 4 lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A, C, and E as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner that impacts safety and traffic flow negatively when distracted.

Our results suggest that cell phones distract preadolescent children while crossing streets.