A Car Is Not A Toy, But A Phone Is

Texting while driving is proving to be a deadly distraction. The New York Times has even turned it into a fun game.

And a movement is afoot to ban phone-addled steering. After two horrific accidents in New York in one day (neither of which had been attributed to texting, but evidence points to them being the result of distracted drivers) comes increased pressure on texting behind the wheel. It had often been said that the activity could be as distracting as driving while drunk (which also has some pretty fun games online -- walking while drunk also has its own game -- and we haven't even gotten to Grand Theft Auto which lets you drive under the influence of all sorts of things, but gets mixed reviews.)

The Times just published a story citing a University of Virgina study that found texting while driving can actually be considerably more dangerous than other on-the-road distractions (the jokes are too easy, so let's leave it at that). And the paper does not leave it at that. They even created a game last week (which ties in really nicely to the new study, mind you) that demonstrates the dangers.

The game starts with a disclaimer telling you it's meant to be educational and also points out that you could get better at it through intense concentration, which either undermines the point or makes or it is just pointless. However, the game is face paced (if a bit dizzying), but it could really benefit from a few GTA-style prostitutes on the side of the road.