Letters | Limiting phones on Hong Kong dashboards is the safest way forward
Readers discuss distractions while driving, battery charging facilities, and lawyers branching out into other jurisdictions
First, checking phones while driving involves multitasking. It is a myth that multitasking means doing two tasks simultaneously, thus increasing efficiency. Multitasking is merely switching back and forth between two tasks. These subtle switching costs between checking the phones and driving could add up, potentially hindering our cognitive performance in both tasks.
Second, multifunctional phones create multimodal distractions for drivers. The phone may present push notifications, calls, voice messages and videos, among other things. Such visual and auditory information could cause drivers to experience cognitive overload and be unable to stay focused on the road.
To further optimise the government’s phone limit, policymakers might consider using eye-trackers in real driving scenarios to explore how drivers process information in the presence of one, two, three or more phones, as well as none, on the dashboard. Characteristics, such as their age and experience, as well as the nature of a task they’re performing on their phones could be considered. The results of such a study could help policymakers determine the optimal number of devices that could be placed on the dashboard.
In addition, manufacturers may also consider designing a driving mode for phones. This should only allow a few essential functions related to driving, such as GPS navigation and accepting ride orders, facilitating drivers’ daily operations while reducing their temptation to scroll on their phones. Hopefully, these suggestions will keep traffic flowing safely and smoothly.
Dr Sara Tze Kwan Li, senior lecturer (psychology), Department of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University