Driven to Distraction

Are you a multi-tasker? Many people think they can text and drive at the same time, even though it’s illegal in some states, and extremely dangerous everywhere. Studies have shown that drivers overestimate their ability to multi-task while behind the wheel. A new online game from the New York Times illustrates the difficulty of focusing on the road while texting.

The rules are simple. Use the numbers at the top of your keyboard (not the number pad) to change between lanes. A green sign tells you which lane to choose. As you do this, a cellphone will appear on the right-hand side of the screen. Read the messages and reply while switching lanes. The game ends when you’ve replied to the third text.

The game starts off extremely easy, giving you plenty of time to switch lanes. However, this gets much harder as you’re trying to pick a lane with one hand and use the mouse to reply to the text with another.

The average user’s reaction time slows by 0.24 seconds while texting, missing 8% more gates. Most never see the grey lady on the screen. They’re too distracted by trying to text. In real life, this can be deadly.

As far as driving games go, this one isn’t terribly exciting, but it does illustrate an important lesson. You may think you can text and drive, but you can’t.