Motorist Holds Steering Wheel in One Hand, 6-Ounce Screen Offering Endless Dopamine-Triggering Distractions in the Other
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A local man operating a motor vehicle on a city street is gripping the steering wheel with one hand and a small, electronic portal to countless alluring distractions that provide immediate neurological rewards in the other, Dumb Runner has learned.
The man, Laurie London, 39, is reportedly driving to a supermarket about 1.5 miles from his home. The electronic portal, an iPhone 11 that London has not put down in nearly 35 minutes, offers a wide array of enticements, including shortcuts to social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, all designed explicitly to keep users engaged; assorted video games; YouTube; London’s Gmail account; text messaging; and, of course, the ability to make and receive phone calls.
London’s vehicle, a 2022 Toyota Camry, weighs 3,400 pounds and can go from zero to 60mph in about six seconds.
It’s unknown how often London’s phone is currently buzzing, chiming, or otherwise alerting London to some notification or event, but sources familiar with his phone usage said that those things happen “very regularly” in social and work settings. Even without those prompts, the sources said, London checks his phone “pretty much constantly.”
Each of those instances triggers a rush of the “feel good” chemical dopamine, experts say, creating a sort of feedback loop—i.e., the more we check our phone, the more we want to check our phone.
Asked via text message whether his behavior created needless risks for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, London responded with a laughing face emoji.
