The NY Times has created an interactive game developed to measure the reaction times of distracted drivers.
To play, users must change lanes when prompted by using the numbers at the top of their QWERTY keyboard. At three different times in the game, the player receives a text message on the right side of the screen. Players must read and respond to the text message while changing lanes at the same time.
The game is designed to demonstrate the consequences of texting while driving.
Players are 0.24 seconds slower to react while texting and miss 8% more of their gates when changing lanes.
Distracted driving is a leading cause of car crashes. The National Safety Council estimates that in 2011, 25% of crashes in the U.S. involved drivers talking or texting on cell phones – that’s a little over 1.3 million car crashes a year.
The NCS supports a texting & driving initiative called It Can Wait. The initiative asks drivers to pledge never to text and drive.
Interested in taking the pledge yourself? Here it is:
No text message, email, website or video is worth the risk of endangering my life or the lives of others on the road. I pledge to never text and drive and will take action to educate others about the dangers of texting while driving. No text is worth the risk. It can wait.
See more at www.itcanwait.com.
For more information:
- Gauging Your Distraction, The New York Times
- Texting & Driving – It Can Wait
