informant38
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...But of these sophisms and elenchs of merchandise I skill not...
Milton, Areopagitica

Except he had found the
standing sea-rock that even this last
Temptation breaks on; quieter than death but lovelier; peace
that quiets the desire even of praising it.

Jeffers, Meditation On Saviors


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6.11.02

Could the presence of a marked crosswalk actually increase an older pedestrian's risk of being struck by a motor vehicle?


The answer appears to be yes, at least for an older adult who is crossing the street at an intersection that lacks a traffic signal or stop sign, according to researchers at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. "Crosswalk Markings and the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor-Vehicle Collisions in Older Pedestrians" will be published in the Nov. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.While crosswalks where a traffic light or stop sign is present are generally safe places for pedestrians to cross, older adults face a 3.6 times greater risk of injury when walking in marked crosswalks at intersections that lack these signals to motorists. Dr. Thomas Koepsell, a University of Washington (UW) professor of epidemiology, was the study's principal investigator.

"Older adults have the highest pedestrian mortality rates of any age group, including young children," Koepsell explains. "They tend to have slower walking speeds, so crossing the street takes more time and involves more exposure to traffic. They're also less agile, so they're less likely to be able to jump out of the way of an oncoming vehicle."

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