| It is somewhat accepted that digital natives, | | | | brain does a bit of one task, switches, works on |
| those who grew up with 21st century technology, | | | | another task, switches, another task, etc. The |
| are great at multitasking. However, the research | | | | end result is that the brain is spending a lot of its |
| indicates that multitasking when applied to driving | | | | time switching between these tasks and has less |
| increases the risk of a collision and indeed can be | | | | time to focus on actually performing the tasks. |
| deadly. If your driving school doesn't include | | | | Given the confusion over these terms, it is no |
| discussion about these dangers, walk don't run to | | | | surprise that most driving schools do not teach |
| another school. The concept of how well people | | | | this item properly, if at all. Without a dedicated |
| can multitask has received much press lately and | | | | development effort, driving schools have a |
| teens actually believe they can effectively | | | | collection of driving lessons that was probably |
| manage multiple, concurrent tasks in parallel. A | | | | taught to your grandfather. Teen novice drivers |
| new topic today is how driver's ed programs | | | | are in the highest risk category to begin with as |
| incorporate issues related to focus and the | | | | they are just beginning to learn how to drive. If |
| dangers of assuming minimal levels of risk | | | | their driver training don't explain and subsequently |
| surrounding multitasking. | | | | reinforce the issues surrounding focus, they are |
| First off, when people mention multitasking, most | | | | at higher risk of a collision. |
| don't even really understand the true meaning of | | | | And don't just take my word for it as there is |
| the term. Along with multiprocessing, these terms | | | | research directly showing the failure of |
| come directly from the computer world and we | | | | multitasking. Reaching for a moving object while |
| have applied them to humans. Most driver training | | | | driving will increase crash risk 9 times! Yes, you |
| was developed before digital natives were born | | | | read that right - 9 times. This number came out |
| and has not kept up with the times. The human | | | | of a study done by Virginia Tech Transportation |
| brain, according to research by people such as | | | | Institute. Driving schools that don't work with the |
| John Medina (see his book "Brain Rules"), is a | | | | research community probably don't have an up to |
| uniprocessor and hence can only do one cognitive | | | | date drivers education program. And their |
| task at a time. In other words, humans can not | | | | students will be at greater risk. |
| truly perform multiple complex tasks in parallel | | | | If nothing else, please take away from this that |
| regardless of how much we believe this is | | | | trying to perform one or more tasks in addition |
| possible. | | | | to driving an automobile increases risk. And this is |
| Now we can discuss multitasking, which is usually | | | | magnified for teen novice drivers. And lastly, |
| confused with multiprocessing. Multitasking is the | | | | make sure that the driving school providing your |
| ability for someone to APPARENTLY perform | | | | teen's driver training understands this issue and |
| multiple tasks concurrently. Behind the scenes, the | | | | instructs their students on this critical issue. |