Study leaves people with the wrong impression...
Jun 8, 2014 17:01:59 GMT -5
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Post by DontDentMyCar on Jun 8, 2014 17:01:59 GMT -5
Several articles from a group called StreetBlog continue to refer to a study that was done, and some like the New York Times seems to support an unfounded 'theory' about where it is safest to cross the street.
An article published in the New York Times with a headlines that reads "Crosswalks in New York Are Not Havens, Study Finds" implies that it's safer to jaywalk. Well yes there is no safe place, and as the study points out even sidewalks can be dangerous, but that title does not imply that jaywalking is safer as many StreetBlog articles continue to report.
The actual study by NYU Langone Medical Center and published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, states:
This statement alone implies that one is more likely to be injured using a crosswalk when the signal says 'walk.'
Except that isn't what the study actually say if you understand that the vast majority of New Yorkers use the crosswalk and wait for the signal to say 'walk,' especially in Manhattan.
So let's consider this percentages in terms of those who jaywalk versus those who cross at a crosswalk with some made up numbers to help put the studies percentages into perspective. Using a group of 10,000 people as a standard, one could find that perhaps only 2% or 200 people might jaywalk in Manhattan's CBD in a given hour. This means that while the hospital might see 44% (44 people per these 10,000 people) of crosswalk users and only 23% jaywalkers (or 23 people), that this means that of the 9,800 people who used crosswalks 44 got injured or .004% and of the 200 jaywalkers 12% were injured.
This would obviously show that jaywalking is way more dangerous. My numbers are made up because I have not done an actual study, and I'm sure we would be talking about out of 1 million people or more, but look at the image below and ask yourself how many jaywalkers do you see versus people using the crosswalk with the signal? The conclusion seems to me to be obvious, and not the potentially dangerous talk StreetBlog continues to imply. Please use the crosswalk and wait for the signal. It sets a good example for everyone around you, especially for children, and it is clearly the safest place to cross a street.
Photo Source: Blog called Burlaki on the Hudson: burlaki.com/blog/2009/09/16/new-york-imagery-6th-avenue/
An article published in the New York Times with a headlines that reads "Crosswalks in New York Are Not Havens, Study Finds" implies that it's safer to jaywalk. Well yes there is no safe place, and as the study points out even sidewalks can be dangerous, but that title does not imply that jaywalking is safer as many StreetBlog articles continue to report.
The actual study by NYU Langone Medical Center and published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, states:
of those injured on the street, 44 percent used a crosswalk, with the signal, compared with 23 percent who crossed midblock and 9 percent who crossed against the signal.
Except that isn't what the study actually say if you understand that the vast majority of New Yorkers use the crosswalk and wait for the signal to say 'walk,' especially in Manhattan.
So let's consider this percentages in terms of those who jaywalk versus those who cross at a crosswalk with some made up numbers to help put the studies percentages into perspective. Using a group of 10,000 people as a standard, one could find that perhaps only 2% or 200 people might jaywalk in Manhattan's CBD in a given hour. This means that while the hospital might see 44% (44 people per these 10,000 people) of crosswalk users and only 23% jaywalkers (or 23 people), that this means that of the 9,800 people who used crosswalks 44 got injured or .004% and of the 200 jaywalkers 12% were injured.
This would obviously show that jaywalking is way more dangerous. My numbers are made up because I have not done an actual study, and I'm sure we would be talking about out of 1 million people or more, but look at the image below and ask yourself how many jaywalkers do you see versus people using the crosswalk with the signal? The conclusion seems to me to be obvious, and not the potentially dangerous talk StreetBlog continues to imply. Please use the crosswalk and wait for the signal. It sets a good example for everyone around you, especially for children, and it is clearly the safest place to cross a street.
Photo Source: Blog called Burlaki on the Hudson: burlaki.com/blog/2009/09/16/new-york-imagery-6th-avenue/
