FRIDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Plugged-in teens who can't
part company with their iPods and other electronic devices don't
just risk hearing problems and eyestrain. As pedestrians, they
may be more likely to be struck by cars, new research finds.
"Compared to adults, teenagers -- in particular ages 13 to 17 --
were more likely to be using an electronic device when they were
injured," said Dr. Nina Glass, a surgical resident at NYU
Langone Medical Center in New York City. Her research is to be
presented Friday at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual
meeting in New Orleans. The research was triggered, she said, by
the number of children who came to NYU's emergency room after
pedestrian accidents. Glass and her colleagues wanted to find
out why, so they collected data on all pedestrians struck by
motor vehicles who came to the hospital trauma center between
2008 and 2011. In all, they looked at nearly 1,100 patients. Of
those, 13 percent were under age 18. Use of electronics among
the teenage pedestria