Multi-tasking with text-messaging & mobile phone usage

Have you ever been bumped into by someone who was writing a text message on a mobile phone and walking at the same time? No doubt you must have seen drivers of motor vehicle talking on their mobile phone or writing a text message while driving too. Most of these drivers will think that they ‘can handle it’ without endangering themselves or other road users. Those who use blue tooth technology to allow them to be hands free while talking on their mobile phone are likely to feel ‘more in control’ of their driving. However, is this multi-tasking behaviour really safe and will its use not affect one’s driving or other task efficiency?

An Australian study interviewed 1347 licensed drivers living in New South Wales and Western Australia about their mobile phone use (hand-held, hands-free and text messaging) while driving over a 17 days period and documented any adverse events as a result of use (MJA 2006; 185: 630 – 634). About 60% of drivers had used the phone and 12.4% of them had written text while driving. Three quarters of these drivers reported at least one adverse effect on their driving resulting from the most recent phone use. The effects included taking eyes off the road (55.9%), slowing down (38.7%), lack of concentration (38.2%), failing to indicate (5.0%), drifting between lanes (3.8%), sudden braking (2.8%), missing a turn-off (2.1%) and near misses (0.7%). One quarter of all drivers could recall having to take evasive action to avoid a collision in the previous 12 months because another driver was using a mobile phone. In a Danish study of predominantly male, heavy vehicle drivers, 0.5% of the drivers had crashed as a result of phone use and 6% had experienced dangerous situations on account of their phone use within the previous year. Two thirds of them had been in dangerous situations in the previous year because of phone use by other road users (Accid Anal Prev 2006; 38: 105 – 111).

We, especially the younger ones, like to think that we can execute several tasks at one time without any drop in our efficiency of execution. In reality that is not the case. In almost all instances, I see very little need for one to text or phone while driving. It is very seldom that you have to text someone or take the call right there and then.

To those who think or say ‘Like it or not, the age of multi-tasking is upon us. You are way behind time!’, I would only ask you to consider one question of mine.  Do you think you would be at ease if your surgeon were taking all calls on his mobile phone and your anaesthetist were text messaging and making calls on his mobile phone while you were having surgery?

Like it or not, in some situation, if you want to perform a task safe and well, you can only focus on one task at a time. In executing the mundane tasks of walking, driving and cycling, I advocate no text and no calls.