During the 2023-2024 school year, Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) launched the 3rd annual Zero Hero activity to decrease electronic device use among teen pedestrians. The activity consists of a pre-observation, three weeks of messaging, and a post-observation completed by students. The activity was offered to all program schools. Fifteen schools completed this activity by returning all observation data.
High school and junior high school student teams were asked to observe teen walkers near their school campus and record if they were or were not visibly using an electronic device.
Questions regarding data may be directed to Christine Yager at c-yager@tti.tamu.edu.
The average percentage of teens using a phone while walking was 43% for pre-observations and 27% for post-observations. 93% of schools experienced a decrease in phone usage while walking between the pre- and post-observations.
All 2023 – 2024 Schools
(n=15 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 1,678 | 1,628 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 44.49% | 24.37% | -45.23% |
| First Year Schools (i.e. the first year that a school completed this activity) (n=10 schools) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 1,195 | 1,167 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 47.94% | 25.10% | -47.65% |
| Multi-Year Schools (the latest year that a school completed this activity) (n=5 schools) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 483 | 461 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 35.97% | 22.52% | -37.37% |
The following sections show state-specific Zero Hero Distracted Walking Results
Texas 2023 – 2024 Schools
(n=1 school)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 100 | 100 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 53.00% | 50.00% | -5.66% |
Georgia 2023 – 2024 Schools
(n=4 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 440 | 366 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 60.77% | 33.55% | -44.80% |
| First Year Schools (i.e. the first year that a school completed this activity) (n=3 schools) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 377 | 298 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 61.90% | 33.21% | -46.35% |
| Multi-Year Schools (the latest year that a school completed this activity) (n=1 school) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 63 | 68 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 54.00% | 35.00% | -35.19% |
Nebraska 2023 – 2024 Schools
(n=1 school)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 50 | 49 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 20.00% | 8.00% | -60.00% |
Colorado 2023 – 2024 Schools
(n=1 school)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 70 | 88 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 41.00% | 22.00% | -46.34% |
Washington 2023 – 2024 Schools
(n=3 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 497 | 580 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 36.01% | 13.87% | -61.48% |