Debora Kelly
Columns
October 30, 2008 11:23 PM
Debora Kelly
It is a shame we are literally driving ourselves to distraction.
We get in our cars and continue multi-tasking; driving along as we grip a cellphone between our shoulder and ear, setting up dentist appointments or trying to get a lower interest rate on a mortgage, between bites of a bagel, sips of coffee and dealing with the demands of the kids in the back seat.
Life, along with the traffic surrounding us on the highway, whizzes by and the mobile, instant communication offered by our cellphones and Blackberries deludes us into thinking we are cramming more into our fast-paced lifestyle.
The problem, according to researchers, is that our brain isn’t working on several tasks at the same time; it is actually rapidly switching from task to task sequentially.
That’s the brain’s definition of distraction.
Some young people are very good at this due to extensive training in reacting to a barrage of rapidly changing stimuli in digital technology such as video games.
Most of us aren’t.
(Seriously, I’ve seen you drive.)
Driving and talking on a cellphone is a dangerous combination.
Clearly, we’ve lost our perspective.
We’re jeopardizing the safety of ourselves, our passengers and others on the road in a bid to keep doing it all, all at the same time.
We’re deluding ourselves that it’s possible to do this without being a hazard on the road.
What are we thinking?
Of four things at once, that’s what.
The McGuinty government will attempt to put the brakes on this modern phenomenon of constant juggling with a proposed new law banning the use of hand-held devices to talk, e-mail or send text messages while behind the wheel.
Drivers using a banned device would face fines of up to $500.
The real solution, of course, would have been to completely ban the use of cellphones.
But, if the law passes, we could still use our cellphones with earpieces or Bluetooth devices, even though experts such as the Ontario Medical Association warn it’s the conversation that impairs cognitive function and visual concentration, not the fact you’re holding the device.
The OMA has been encouraging governments to ban cellphones and driving since 2001, which Newfoundland and Labrador, then Nova Scotia and Quebec have done.
Bottom line, anything that diverts our eyes from the road is dangerous — somebody should ban those people at the side of the road waving signs for two-for-one pizzas and car washes, by the way — but the government recognizes it’s impossible to outlaw, well, everything — even idiots who drive.
We’ll continue to change CDs, turn up the radio, eat on the go and deal with the kids fighting in the back seat without being fined.
Yes, it is unfortunate we couldn’t have just used our own common sense about cellphones and driving.
Yes, there are dangerous driving laws already on the books, but this proposed legislation is an opportunity to educate drivers about the specific dangers of cellphone use while driving.
We should see the proposed law as a friendly reminder to ease up on the ridiculous multi-tasking — what is the matter with these people who think a drive down the 404 is the perfect time to read the paper, shave or put on make-up, never mind make a couple of calls?
Let’s enjoy the journey, so to speak, and the sense of balance that comes with focusing our minds on one task at a time.
I’m definitely going to try that, right after I buy a hands-free headset — just for emergencies, of course ... like making an appointment for a pedicure ... and calling 911.