Your story on the rise of city pedestrian deaths, “Fatalities Afoot,” (Nov. 10) fails to mention two probable causes: the higher percentage of iPod users with the volume set too high to hear the horn of a car or bus, and those who walk and talk on a cellphone and get distracted for a second.

In a city as busy as New York City, a second can make a huge difference.

Sean K. Gaffney Brooklyn