New Study Shows More Kids Being Struck And Killed By Cars Due To Distracted Walking

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Put down the phone when you're walking down the street.

That's the message from Safe Kids Worldwide.

The group put out a study that found more teens walking and staring at their phones are being killed by cars, including five teen pedestrian deaths every week. That's a 13 percent increase in the teen pedestrian death rate since 2013.

Web Extra: Read the report

"We  really suspect there is a direct connection with cellphones," said Kate Carr with Safe Kids Worldwide. "The number of teens who have cellphones has increased from 45 percent in 2004 to 88 percent in 2015."

The group's report says school zones can be unsafe for students due to distracted walking by students and distracted driving by parents.

The group wants school zones to be made safer by enforcing a 20 mph speed limit and putting in signs and crosswalks in school zones.

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