Texting, driving - and shopping?

Pam is a university colleague who teaches in the biology department. In preparation for a new course, Pam was telling me how meticulous she was about the syllabus, making sure everything was perfect, including dates, chapter readings, and assignments. This course provided more in-depth study about the brain, as this topic was only cursorily handled in another course that Pam has taught for several years.

"Do you realize how fascinating our brains really are?" she asked. "We just have no idea the power each of us carries around in our brains. Here's just one example for you: If you're driving a car and paying full attention to what you're doing, 100 percent of your brain is focused on that activity. However, if you talk on your cell phone while driving, fully 35 percent of your attention is no longer on your driving. That's scary."

"Gee, I had no idea the attention deficit was so high," I responded. "Indeed — that IS scary. And it makes me wonder all the more about drivers I've encountered on the road either in front of me or behind me who are weaving from the road's pathway. I try to stay away from them."

"Listen to this," Pam continued. "Just the other day I was on the expressway and one of those weaving cars came from behind me, went around me and stayed next to me for several miles. I glanced over and saw clearly that not only was that driver holding her phone with one hand on the wheel but also had her credit card in her other hand on the wheel. She was shopping! Shopping while driving. Now come on, what is so critical that you couldn't pull off the road, find a gas station, and do your shopping there?"

"Shopping while driving?" I say incredulously. "Whoever heard of such a thing? If your brain statistics are correct, then being on the phone plus managing a credit card for online shopping would take a lot more than 35 percent brain power away from driving. I wonder just how much attention she was paying to the driving? Sounds like you have a new research topic," I offer. "Yes," Pam replied. "Either I prove the how-much-attention-to-driving question or I verify the old adage of 'a penny for your thoughts.' Driving while shopping wouldn't be worth much more than that."

[Nancy Linenkugel is a Sylvania Franciscan sister and chair of the department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati Ohio.]