Only supertaskers get to drive and talk on the phone, sorry
Last week I called my mom while I was walking to the train*. She answered and said, “I shouldn’t talk right now. I’m driving. Oprah** said not to talk on your cell phone while you drive.”
We started talking about driving and talking on the cell phone (note: she did not get off the phone) and she told me that she saw all the statistics on Oprah about how your reaction time slows down when you are on the phone. She said she immediately thought, “That doesn’t affect me – I can drive and talk” and that was when Oprah said, “Most people think they are the exception to this. Most people think they CAN multitask while driving.”
And they do! My mother did! I’ve known other people to say the same thing.
I ran across this interesting article saying that only 2.5 percent of the general population are good enough at multitasking to talk on the phone and drive at the same time. The article calls these people “supertaskers.”
In the study, 200 people operated a driving simulator while using the cell phone. It took most people 20 percent longer to hit the brakes when needed, and their following increased 30 percent. However, the supertaskers displayed no change.
Of course, this study is very small, but it comes to the same conclusion as many studies I’ve seen – most people cannot drive safely and talk on the phone at the same time. And even though most people think they are the exception to the rule, they probably aren’t.
And while we’d probably all like to think we are the exception to the rule, the odds are overwhelmingly against it. In fact, the odds of being a supertasker are about as good as your chances of flipping a coin and getting five heads in a row.
Do you ever talk on the phone while driving (or even worse, text)? Do you try to avoid it, or do you think of yourself as a “supertasker”?
Of course, I am guilty of this. I answer my phone while driving. I will make a quick call too. And I don’t think I am great at multitasking. In fact, I know I am bad at it. And I am an aggressive driver, so that isn’t a good combo. I try to keep the calls short. Get to the point, and get off the phone. Of course, that could be the same logic that got many people into bad accidents! This is probably something I should work on.
*Some studies say it is bad to walk and talk too.
**My mother loves Oprah. I haven’t seen her show since… maybe the 90s?
Themocracy
Hahaha, that is so funny! We were watching Dr. Oz one day and he was saying the same stuff and doing the same study, blah blah. He said that 2% of the population thing but likened those people to high tech jet fighter pilots. Ever since then, my friends call me “fighter pilot” because I am convinced I am one of the few, the proud, the 2%! 😉
I do it. I’m not proud to admit it. I am trying to stop. It’s dangerous!
I have a hands free for talking…I know I am still distracted but at least I have two hands on the wheel. And I almost never text and drive unless it cannot be avoided.
Everyday on my way to work, I see this kind of idiocy…but my favorite is this guy I see a few days a week who READS THE PAPER while driving!
OMG, I used to see this in VA on my commute ALL the time! It puzzled me to no end!
The whole newspaper thing just baffles me!
I talk on my phone in the car A LOT. Honestly, I sometimes feel like its the only time I have to make calls and I don’t have a bluetooth headset or bluetooth in my car. I should investigate it though; in Maryland they are looking at passing legislation that would make it a pull overable and ticketable offense for just TOUCHING your cell phone in car in…even to just dial your phone.
I try not to use the phone when driving, but it still happens. But I am totally a supertasker … what mom isn’t?
I drive & talk but that’s cause my car now has Sync which pairs up with the bluetooth in my phone so I can talk hands-free. It pissees me off all the time when I see people have a cell phone next to their ear though. I don’t text & drive anymore since it became illegal in Illinois. But I also don’t like people who eat & drive at the same time too. It’s worse than talking on a cell phone while driving. I think that should be made illegal too.
You heard about the runner that got injured by texting & running right? I text while run in some of my marathons at times. 🙂
I didn’t hear about that runner… what was the story?
I’m terrible…I drive and text, drive and chat, drive and eat…I draw the line at applying make-up…I’m basically a terrible driver.
ok, i know we all THINK we’re the 2% but.. seriously… i notice NO DIFFERENCE when i’m on the phone. texting? yes. dialing? yes. they’re things that make you look away from the road and focus on another task. but how is talking on the phone different than talking to someone in your car!? shouldn’t the rule be you’re NEVER ALLOWED TO TALK while operating a vehicle, in that case?? seems silly to me.
I get distracted talking in the car to an actual person as well. Maybe they should ban that too 😉
I’m certainly guilty of talking on the phone and driving, although I won’t usually do it if it’s super busy or the weather is bad. I don’t necessarily understand why talking on the phone is different than, say, talking to your passenger, other than it’s two people in very different settings.
I REALLY don’t understand why “hands free” cell phones are any different. I don’t think accidents are a result of someone not holding onto the wheel…more like people not paying attention!
You are so right – it is that people are not paying attention, no matter where the talking is coming from. Apparently though, many commenters think they can do it… I am surprised!
Ok, I know this is terrible, but I’ve always thought of myself as an exception to the “don’t talk and drive” rule. I can maneuver, change lanes, pay attention to the road, etc. while talking on the phone! I don’t know if I’m a “supertasker” though 😉
Since I live in NYC I don’t really drive, but when I used to live at home I would rarely talk and drive, even with a hands-free. I get distracted enough by the radio!
I’m actually a pretty good multi-tasker but stink at doing anything else while I’m on the phone…I actually used to get in trouble at my old job when I’d try to talk and type at the same time!
Whenever I am on a call at work and try to do something at the same time, I totally stop paying attention to the call! Oops. I have quit that.
Mythbusters did a great episode where they compared people’s reaction times in the car while talking on a cell phone and while drunk! If I remember correctly, they weren’t all that different. Of course, their sample size was even smaller but, still, it was an eye opening episode.
I try not to talk on the phone. Sometimes I’ll dig for it in my purse to see who’s calling and when I do feel like I have to call someone back right away I use the speakerphone. I’ll also admit to occasionally texting but only at red lights. And they certainly aren’t conversations. Just quick one-liners to say I’m on my way or running late.
I live in California, where it’s now against the law to talk on the phone (or text) and drive. At first, this was really hard for me, as I used to equate driving time with “phone time.” Now, I hardly ever talk on the phone! I’m a big fan of killing two birds with one stone. I have difficult single-tasking. I’m pretty much made to multitask, for better or worse 😉 I understand the law, and I’m fine with it now. My husband has rear-ended someone by driving while texting, so it happens!
Pretty scary that only 2.5% can actually handle doing this, but most everyone thinks that they can. I never text, let alone while driving. But I do talk on the phone. I have bluetooth in my car so I can talk hands free, and feel like I am not distracted. But I know it does take some of the attention away from driving which is not good. I saw that episode of Oprah and it was such a sad show of so many people who had lost loved ones due to cell phones while driving.
I see people swerving all around me talking on cell phones everyday during my commute.
I don’t do it anymore. I use my iPhone plugged into an auxiliary plug in my car. However, my personal best was the time I played a football game on my laptop, ate a bowl of soup, and talked on a cell phone all while driving.
I’m lucky I can drive forget about multitasking. In New York, we have to use hands free. Recently, NYC passed a law that cab drivers are not even allowed to use their cells, hands free or not while driving.
The cab law is a good one – I have been in some scary cabs in Chicago with the driving talking on the phone (headset or not).
I do it but I’m trying to stop. When we left California, it had just become illegal to talk on the phone while driving (with the exception of hands-free) but when we moved here I got back into the habit.
i live in california and it is against the law to talk and drive so i try not to do it becasue i don’t want to get a ticket! however i play with my phone all the time when i walk to and from work and i swear i have almost ran into polls twice already-not good 🙂
They recently passed a provincial law banning talking on phones (without a headset.)
I have a standard, I can’t hold the phone and switch gears. But I do like to text at stop lights. More so since they passed the law. I’m bad ass like that. hahahaha
I do talk on the phone while driving but I stopped texting and driving when I accidently rear ended someone. Thankfully I was going so slow that it didn’t do any damage but that definitely kicked that habit! Thanks for the well wishes yesterday too! 🙂
My new car has hands free calling, which I rarely use. But I have been known to check Facebook or text at red lights. I need to quit that.
I almost never answer my cell while driving. Driving makes me anxious enough — I don’t need further distractions. My husband, on the other hand, will drive, talk on the phone and smoke (or eat) at the same time — while driving a stick shift.
I will call people when driving. The reason being that I know I am better off staying awake + alert while talking on the phone than being sleepy and fighting to stay awake while not talking on the phone. But that’s not really an excuse since I’ll answer the phone if someone calls regardless of how tired I am. Even in Chicago where I hear it is completely banned? I don’t text at all – like, not when driving or sitting – so I know that would be a huge disaster if I tried. I’ve asked friends not to text when they have been driving with me because it seriously freaks me out! Averted eyes = frightening!
I have, in the past, called someone when trying to stay awake. I have also pulled over.
It was illegal in Chicago to talk on a cell, but I am not sure if it still is. Hmm. I never do in the city – that is just asking for it!
I’m guilty too and know that it’s BAD, esp since I’m a bad driver as it is—-not the greatest at paying attention and my road rage is a little bit out of control.
After seeing her show about how you actually block out things in your periphery I stopped talking on the phone unless it’s really important and I don’t do it at all around my complex because there are so many people walking! it also made me much more cautious of any driver I see
Haha I love how as soon as Oprah says something people listen.
I don’t talk on the phone while driving anymore because its illegal (and my headset is too confusing). But I’m totally guilty of texting. And now since its illegal I try and hide it which is so much worse. No, I don’t think I’m a supertasker. I’m just too impatient to wait until I get home.
I try and wait for red light though. Does that count?
I am a supertasker!!!! Thanks for letting me know of my new title!!!
I am going to go find a quarter and flip it and see if I can get 5 heads in a row. I think I can!!!!
Sometimes I have a book I’m REALLY into and I read it when stopped at lights. I never read when moving. That’s just silly. Even for a supertasker!
Are you serious about the book?
I’m really afraid of car accidents, so I generally do not talk on the phone while driving; I definitely don’t answer it if I’m driving. I think text messages are rude, so I don’t have them on my plan. Texting during driving, ugh, that is so dangerous. I’m seriously so judgmental of people who are so inconsiderate of other’s safety (i.e. driving texters) that I think it’d be enough reason for me to avoid being friends with them.
OMG so in NY it is illegal to drive and talk on the phone (without a hands free thingie) and also to drive and text which honestly I think is great idea because ppl cannot drive and talk on the phone! I still see ppl talking and texting and it really bothers me! I honk at ppl i see talking on the phone because i get so irritated!! ugg ok well obviously you can see I am against ppl talking on the phone plus its illegal here.
I actually happen to have seen that Oprah even though I almost never watch her show and it was really eye-opening. I try never to use the phone and only text at stoplights. It IS distracting and it’s always the people who say they are super multi-taskers who are the worst!
I talk on the phone while driving but I have Blue Tooth. Still, I do feel like I am good multi-tasker so even without the hands free device I think I can drive and talk with no problem. Texting is another story altogether. I think that is a TERRIBLE idea!!
I admit that I do sometimes talk on the phone and when I’m at a stop light that I know is going to be loooooooonnnnnnggg I’ll occasionally text. But it’s illegal in California and I don’t want to pay the ticket. And I have become much more aware of how less I pay attention when I’m talking and driving. The problem is that everyone THINKS that they can multi-task, but that we really can’t. Or we can multi-task, but we aren’t doing anything WELL.
Also, I have heard all of the studies and that texting is so much more problematic than even drinking and driving.
Ha – you are so right. People can multitask, just not well!
I am seriously worried about the people I know who text while driving. Scary!
I DO talk on the phone while driving…..but I don’t consider myself ‘super’ at anything 🙂
I rarely do, it is now illegal in most of Canada. I sometimes check messages or emails when I am stopped at a light, I get distracted doing that, normally someone honks at me to get moving.
I talk on the phone while driving. I pretty much never talk on the phone if I’m NOT driving actually. It’s never caused me a problem and I will put down the phone right away if I come up to an area that needs complete focus. I also text while driving, and yeah, it’s kind of illegal in Virginia to do that. I have been trying not to… kind of… I still keep my eyes on the road for the most part while I’m texting and will only look down to read the text (looking up constantly) or to make sure I didn’t screw up the text in anyway.
haha – oh my gosh, I love your footnotes. They seriously make me laugh out loud sometimes. 🙂
As MUCH as a I wish I could say I don’t do either, I do. It’s not illegal in my state (does NOT make it right!), but I will say I hardly text anymore since I got a new phone and I really am not a phone talker, so I don’t have to worry about that too often. I WILL say that I will never get directions from people when talking on a cell phone anymore! I was doing that about 4 years ago, and my cousin was telling me what landmarks to look out for. As I was doing that, I completely ran a red light – first (and only) I’ve ever ran. I came within ONE foot of side-swiping someone! So learned my lesson that way….phew.
I rarely text while driving. And I never text while driving when my wife is in the car, unless I’m the passenger and she’s driving.
I have a bluetooth headset I use when I need to call in the car, but there is the whole looking down while driving to dial issue, too.
i try not to use my phone until i’m stopped at a light. i wonder if that counts. i bet it does.
I LOVE Oprah, the fact that her show is on TV here in Belgium is so important to me as a link to home… I never use the phone in the car – it is illegal here and I think it is really dangerous. I saw the Oprah show about texting and driving and I can’t believe people think it’s okay to do that! Sometimes I’ll be talking on the phone at home and be busy walking around doing stuff (putting clothes away, cleaning up) and when I get off I realize I was totally on automatic – I am in a different zone when on the phone and I know that is NOT conducive to safe driving. So even if it wasn’t illegal I wouldn’t do it.
I cannot believe people think it is okay too. I was really surprised by the comments I got!
i am guilty of texting at lights. I’m sure that counts as well….
I disagree with anyone questioning the difference between talking on the phone and talking to a passenger. Passengers are often aware of driving conditions. If you approach a precarious situation, they will often see it and stop talking, giving you the go-ahead to pay more attention to the road. Even if they can’t see what’s on the road, they are infinitely more aware/sensitive to the driver’s ability to focus on the conversation.
That said, I do talk on the phone while in the car. But, I take many more precautions (driving further back from vehicles in front of me, not changing lanes, etc.) than I do when I’m off the phone. I never text while in the car, though my husband seems to think it’s a valid way to communicate with me despite knowing I’m behind the wheel. Grrrrr.