VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It gets dark early and the weather has been horrible; they make for poor conditions for drivers and pedestrians.

We hear a lot about dangerous distractions behind the wheel, but new research suggests many pedestrians are putting themselves in danger whenever they step off the curb.

A study in the journal Injury Prevention had researchers monitor 20 busy intersections in Seattle, watching more than 1,100 pedestrians cross at different times of the day.

One third were distracted in some way; the majority were walking and texting.

Texting pedestrians were almost four times as likely to display at least one unsafe crossing behaviour, such as disobeying the signal or failing to look both ways before stepping off the curb. It also took them 18 per cent longer to cross an intersection.

Talking on a cell phone was also a common distraction, along with listening to music. But it turns out people rocking along in their headphones crossed faster than a typical pedestrian.

Maclean’s Magazine reports an average of 363 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes every year in Canada between 2004-2006.

Some reports suggest lower city speed limits could prevent injury and death but it looks like cutting back on the texting and walking could make pedestrians a lot safer, too.