Multitasking is doing two things at once. For instance, some people may paint while they listen to music or run while they listen to an audiobook.
It’s also something people try to do in the car. A driver may use their cellphone, change the radio station, adjust the controls or program a GPS, all while trying to drive the car. If asked why, they will say that they’re good at multitasking, so it seems safe. But is this true?
Multitasking is a myth
This is not true and there are two reasons why. The main one is that multitasking isn’t even real. It is a myth. Even people who believe that’s what they’re doing are not actually doing it – and they’re certainly not doing it safely.
What are they doing instead? Their brain is switching from the first task to the second, and then back again. This happens very quickly and repeatedly, so they think that they are multitasking, but they’re just jumping back-and-forth between tasks. This means that they will generally do both tasks worse than they would have if they focused on them individually.
The second thing to remember is that, even when someone believes they can multitask, distracted driving has been shown to lead to accidents and injuries. In the car is not the time to attempt to multitask.
Have you suffered injuries?
You may do what you can to avoid distractions or multitasking. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be injured in an accident caused by another distracted driver. If you are, then you need to take the time to look into all the legal options at your disposal.
