Declan Hubert was listening to loud music through his headphones when he was hit by a car
The family of a schoolboy hit by a car while listening to loud music have backed a campaign highlighting the danger of headphones.
Declan Hubert, 14, died in May 2011 after he was hit by a car in Hove.
Almost 300 road collisions in Brighton and Hove over the past three years were due to pedestrians failing to look properly, council figures have shown.
The authority has launched a poster campaign raising awareness of potential distractions caused by headphones.
Declan's father Jeremy Hubert said listening to music as he crossed the road had meant he was effectively "in a bubble".
"I'm sure that if Declan had those headphones out of his ears he would have at least heard that something was coming to him on his right hand side at speed and he'd still be with us," he said.
Declan suffered serious head injuries when he was knocked down as he crossed Hangleton Road while on his paper round.
Mr Hubert said his son had also been wearing a hooded top, which would have restricted his view.
"Why would you restrict your senses? Why would you restrict something which can save your life by 50% by getting into a bubble of your own little world and cutting off your hearing?" he said.
Brighton and Hove City Council said about eight pedestrians a month were injured in the city because they were not paying attention.
- Published14 November 2011
- Published10 May 2011
