Distracted to Death

“They’ve created a candy store of distraction. And we are killing people.”

Psychologist David Strayer, director of the university’s Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.


There are so many reasons for us to transition to self-driving cars. We could manage traffic congestion and flow when a car-based sophisticated computer system with links to an artificially intelligent central tracking array to maximize our existing road system – without necessarily building more roads to accommodate demand. Perhaps to take dangerous drivers away from controlling their vehicles. To adopt driving practices to reduce energy usage. Or how about this one: drivers today are just too busy to drive.

Too many bells and whistles, with carmakers tripping all over themselves to best their competition. The military learned the hard way that information overload can actually impair an otherwise sharp and well-trained mind. Russ Mitchell, writing for the July 6th Los Angeles times, explains: “In the late 1980s, the U.S. Army turned to outside experts to study how pilots of Apache attack helicopters were responding to the torrent of information streaming into the cockpit on digital screens and analog displays. The verdict: not well.

“The cognitive overload caused by all that information was degrading performance and raising the risk of crashes, the researchers determined. Pilots were forced to do too many things at once, with too many bells and whistles demanding their attention. Over the next decade, the Army overhauled its Apache fleet, redesigning cockpits to help operators maintain focus.

“The cognitive overload caused by all that information was degrading performance and raising the risk of crashes, the researchers determined. Pilots were forced to do too many things at once, with too many bells and whistles demanding their attention. Over the next decade, the Army overhauled its Apache fleet, redesigning cockpits to help operators maintain focus.

“Cognitive psychologist David Strayer was among those called in to help the Army with its Apache problem. Since then, he has watched as civilian cars and trucks have filled up to an even greater extent with the same sorts of digital interfaces that trained pilots with honed reflexes found so overwhelming — touch screens, interactive maps, nested menus, not to mention ubiquitous smartphones. In his lab at the University of Utah, he’s been documenting the deadly consequences…

“Everything we know from pilots being overloaded we can apply to motor vehicles,” Strayer said. But rather than apply it, makers of smartphones and automobiles largely have ignored the research, persistently adding popular but deadly diversions… To be sure, new automotive technology also includes innovative safety features such as lane-departure warning and blind spot detection. Yet, despite these and other crash-prevention systems, the highway death count continues to rise… After decades of falling fatality rates, U.S. roads have become markedly more dangerous in recent years. In 2021, motor vehicle crashes killed nearly 43,000 people. That’s up from about 33,000 in 2012, and a 16-year high.”

Car ads often refer to the driver’s seat as a “cockpit.” For those in professional or management jobs, or for those addicted to the phones, being in a car does not untether you from overconnected reality. And admitting you were distracted can carry some legal ramifications as well. “Reported fatalities due to distracted driving have remained flat for the last 10 years, 3,000 to 4,000 a year. But there is good reason to consider those figures a major undercount, as they rely on people admitting they were distracted, or a police officer or someone else witnessing a driver with phone in hand before a crash.

“‘It’s against people’s self-interest to say, ‘I was on the cellphone’ or ‘I was using the infotainment system’ ’ after a crash, ‘because there can be serious consequences,’ said Cathy Chase, who heads Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety… ‘I don’t think we’re getting an accurate picture of what’s happening on the roads,’ she said.

“Other measures point to a much higher toll. In early 2020, the National Safety Council said cellphones were involved in more than a quarter of crashes. A poll by Nationwide Insurance shows its agents believe 50% of all crashes involved distracted driving. And safety experts say the problem has only grown worse since the start of the pandemic.

“Pretending that the toll is only a few thousand people a year makes it more difficult to change policies that could improve safety, Mark Rosekind said. He ran the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during the Obama administration and is now chief safety innovation officer at driverless car company Zoox… ‘People will use those low numbers as a way to minimize this, that it’s not a big problem,’ he said.

“Most people know distracted driving is bad — 98% of those polled told Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety they are extremely or very concerned about it as a safety issue. But most do it anyway. More than 63% of polled drivers said they use their cellphones while driving. That increased to 73% of people who use their cars for work.” LA Times. When the boss or a demanding client or customer calls, they expect to connect! Job. Client. Family member. BFF. Or life… not just your own. Self-driving cars? Back to the drawing board! We actually need that! Or live with the notion that getting into a vehicle is always putting your life at risk, even if you are a perfect and attentive driver. How long are we going to continue to accept this avoidable reality?

I’m Peter Dekom, and how many near misses have you experienced behind the wheel?

“They’ve created a candy store of distraction. And we are killing people.”

Psychologist David Strayer, director of the university’s Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.

There are so many reasons for us to transition to self-driving cars. We could manage traffic congestion and flow when a car-based sophisticated computer system with links to an artificially intelligent central tracking array to maximize our existing road system – without necessarily building more roads to accommodate demand. Perhaps to take dangerous drivers away from controlling their vehicles. To adopt driving practices to reduce energy usage. Or how about this one: drivers today are just too busy to drive.

Too many bells and whistles, with carmakers tripping all over themselves to best their competition. The military learned the hard way that information overload can actually impair an otherwise sharp and well-trained mind. Russ Mitchell, writing for the July 6th Los Angeles times, explains: “In the late 1980s, the U.S. Army turned to outside experts to study how pilots of Apache attack helicopters were responding to the torrent of information streaming into the cockpit on digital screens and analog displays. The verdict: not well.

“The cognitive overload caused by all that information was degrading performance and raising the risk of crashes, the researchers determined. Pilots were forced to do too many things at once, with too many bells and whistles demanding their attention. Over the next decade, the Army overhauled its Apache fleet, redesigning cockpits to help operators maintain focus.

“The cognitive overload caused by all that information was degrading performance and raising the risk of crashes, the researchers determined. Pilots were forced to do too many things at once, with too many bells and whistles demanding their attention. Over the next decade, the Army overhauled its Apache fleet, redesigning cockpits to help operators maintain focus.

“Cognitive psychologist David Strayer was among those called in to help the Army with its Apache problem. Since then, he has watched as civilian cars and trucks have filled up to an even greater extent with the same sorts of digital interfaces that trained pilots with honed reflexes found so overwhelming — touch screens, interactive maps, nested menus, not to mention ubiquitous smartphones. In his lab at the University of Utah, he’s been documenting the deadly consequences…

“Everything we know from pilots being overloaded we can apply to motor vehicles,” Strayer said. But rather than apply it, makers of smartphones and automobiles largely have ignored the research, persistently adding popular but deadly diversions… To be sure, new automotive technology also includes innovative safety features such as lane-departure warning and blind spot detection. Yet, despite these and other crash-prevention systems, the highway death count continues to rise… After decades of falling fatality rates, U.S. roads have become markedly more dangerous in recent years. In 2021, motor vehicle crashes killed nearly 43,000 people. That’s up from about 33,000 in 2012, and a 16-year high.”

Car ads often refer to the driver’s seat as a “cockpit.” For those in professional or management jobs, or for those addicted to the phones, being in a car does not untether you from overconnected reality. And admitting you were distracted can carry some legal ramifications as well. “Reported fatalities due to distracted driving have remained flat for the last 10 years, 3,000 to 4,000 a year. But there is good reason to consider those figures a major undercount, as they rely on people admitting they were distracted, or a police officer or someone else witnessing a driver with phone in hand before a crash.

“‘It’s against people’s self-interest to say, ‘I was on the cellphone’ or ‘I was using the infotainment system’ ’ after a crash, ‘because there can be serious consequences,’ said Cathy Chase, who heads Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety… ‘I don’t think we’re getting an accurate picture of what’s happening on the roads,’ she said.

“Other measures point to a much higher toll. In early 2020, the National Safety Council said cellphones were involved in more than a quarter of crashes. A poll by Nationwide Insurance shows its agents believe 50% of all crashes involved distracted driving. And safety experts say the problem has only grown worse since the start of the pandemic.

“Pretending that the toll is only a few thousand people a year makes it more difficult to change policies that could improve safety, Mark Rosekind said. He ran the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during the Obama administration and is now chief safety innovation officer at driverless car company Zoox… ‘People will use those low numbers as a way to minimize this, that it’s not a big problem,’ he said.

“Most people know distracted driving is bad — 98% of those polled told Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety they are extremely or very concerned about it as a safety issue. But most do it anyway. More than 63% of polled drivers said they use their cellphones while driving. That increased to 73% of people who use their cars for work.” LA Times. When the boss or a demanding client or customer calls, they expect to connect! Job. Client. Family member. BFF. Or life… not just your own. Self-driving cars? Back to the drawing board! We actually need that! Or live with the notion that getting into a vehicle is always putting your life at risk, even if you are a perfect and attentive driver. How long are we going to continue to accept this avoidable reality?

I’m Peter Dekom, and how many near misses have you experienced behind the wheel?