‘SMOMBIES’ on our streets

Moving People - The NRMA podcast

In our very first episode, Dimitra Vlahomitros, safety expert and author of the NRMA's pedestrian safety report, Look Up, talks to us about the dangers posed by distracted walking on our pedestrians.

Pedestrian trauma accounts for 17 per cent of all deaths on NSW roads and 9 per cent of serious injuries. More than 1,500 pedestrians are hit on NSW roads each year and in 2018, 67 pedestrians lost their lives.

The report includes an observational study of 26,390 pedestrians across three intersections in the Sydney CBD and one in Parramatta. The NRMA's research indicates that over one-in-three pedestrians are behaving like ‘smombies’ (smartphone zombies) by crossing busy city streets while engrossed in their smartphone or wearing headphones.

We take a closer look at the alarming statistics about pedestrian deaths on our roads, the concerning results from our research on distracted walking and the solutions to address this dangerous trend.