Multi-tasking is one of the essential things that people do on an everyday basis. Whether cooking while watching your favorite Netflix series or studying for an exam while listening to music, these are the things that you might already have done from the past years.
And what's worse is that some of these multitasking activities might be dangerous for you or your surroundings. Take example, texting while driving.
Science Behind Texting while Driving
According to Steven Seiler, an assistant professor of Sociology at Tennessee Technological University, the science behind texting while driving is that people absorb this act as being normal due to what other people do.
For example, once you noticed your friend driving his car while texting without making any accidents or problems, your brain starts to accept that the act is 'normal' because nothing happened to him even though his texting while driving. Prof. Seiler even described this multi-tasking as a 'cultural artifact' in the United States that most people do even without their consciousness that they are texting while driving.
According to the National Safety Council, about 1.6 million car accidents are happening per year due to texting while driving. In 2018, the number of U.S. cellphone-related deaths in car accidents reached to 4,637. Although this number is increasing every year, NSC also found out that driver cellphone use is one of the most underreported reasons for car accidents—making it seem like a shocking thing once an accident occurs due to texting while driving.
Texting Addiction is a Real Thing
According to David Greenfield, a professor at the University of Connecticut's School of Medicine, texting while driving is one of the proofs that texting addiction is a real thing for most people.
The anticipation to quickly read a text message from a loved one or a friend is resulted due to the chemical being released in a human body called dopamine. And once a person expects a certain message from a certain person, this chemical increases over time—making people look at their phones even if they are doing something important like driving a vehicle.
Government vs Texting-while-Driving
Around the world, different versions of law against texting while driving are being implemented. However, most countries still have a lapse into making a firmer law against this due to a lack of technology that aims to make it more stringent.
In the U.S. alone, twenty states have already banned the hand-held cellphone use while driving; 38 states banned teens for using phones while driving, and 48 states banned text messaging while inside a moving vehicle.
Australia Uses A.I. to Catch Violators
According to CNN, the Australian state of New South Wales recently released a new project that involves artificial intelligence. They put high-quality detection cameras to spy on drivers using their phones while on the road. As explained, there will be 45 portable cameras that will be set up on the road without any warnings for the drivers. In this way, violators will be caught in the act and properly charged for the said penalty.
