Recently, while researching a story on texting and driving laws, I found this little program, an interactive feature the New York Times claims can “measure how your reaction time is affected by external distractions.” Essentially, you “drive” and change lanes using your keyboard, and respond to friendly, yet emoticon-free (please, were you expecting OMGs from these guys?) texts from your pals at the Times, with topics ranging from movie preferences to vacation plans. At the end, you can compare your distracted reaction time to that of other users.
I know plenty of people, especially in the college student age range, that don’t think twice about tapping out a quick message on their iPhone while en route to Hy-Vee. So naturally, I took the bait. And the results? Just as scary as you’d expect.
According to the stimulator, my reaction time is .18 seconds slower while texting, which is slightly under the user average of .24 seconds. Additionally, I missed 3% more of the lane changes while texting, with the average user missing 8%. So roughly, I’m earning a B- in motor vehicle multitasking, in a scenario where anything less than an A+ is literally an accident waiting to happen. The National Safety Council estimates that 1.6 million of those cell phone related accidents occur every year. Looks like I’m not the only one with subpar grades.
Our friends at the Times were generous enough to gently keep the egomaniacs perfectionists of the world in check, reminding users that, “as with all games, intense levels of concentration or repetition can lead to more successful outcomes” and that “regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.”
Personally, I found this program both effective and far less gut-wrenching than the gory British Public Service Announcement meant to discourage texting and driving released last August. At least I think so. After reading several news reports and blog posts about the PSA’s apparently graphic, gruesome content, I opted not to watch it (really, please don’t hit play without reading up on the video). My anemic, prone-to-fainting self didn’t need any more convincing. With numbers provided by the Times, and eye-opening shock value courtesy of our European neighbors, I’ve relegated texting to an exclusively stationary activity.
And finally, just in case you have a heart of steel and an overabundance of confidence in your multitasking prowess (scary combo for the record), check out this study from Car and Driver magazine, which ultimately concluded that texting and driving is significantly riskier than drinking and driving. They had guys drink screwdrivers and drive, and then had guys screw around with cell phones and drive. And the latter proved more dangerous. Nothing to lol at there.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I dunno, that British ad was pretty convincing.
Solid argument. I’ll be drink-driving this weekend.