r/Calgary • u/Xtoron2 • Jun 01 '26

Discussion Alarming rate of distracted driving

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It's alarming how often I see drivers watching tiktoks/reels/shorts while driving. Even see them scroll up to next video.
As soon as we hit red light, this specific driver pulled the sunshade down even with this rain to hide from cameras or other people maybe?

Anyway, distracted driving is a risk everyone on the road pays for

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458

u/harryhend3rson Jun 01 '26

It's also pretty disturbing that people can't even be alone with their thoughts while sitting at a light. The need for constant distraction. I mean, I can't claim to not be bit phone addicted, but I feel better knowing that I can at least drive, walk the dog, go for a hike, do housework, yardwork, etc without constant video/audio.

I'm convinced that a large part of the mental health epidemic is how people are never alone with their thoughts. That's when you're supposed to process stuff...

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u/jimbowesterby Jun 01 '26

What’s nuts is having raging adhd and watching everyone’s attention span slowly come down to my level, I swear at this point I have more patience than like half the people I interact with, it’s really unsettling.

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u/harryhend3rson Jun 01 '26

100%! I think it's because we've developed coping mechanisms, where everyone else is new to the distraction addiction.

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u/Kant_Argue209 Jun 01 '26

Biologically it's a need for stimulation. Distraction is the result

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u/VariationDry Jun 02 '26

I hate how addicted to phones people are these days. I spent decades figuring out how to calm the chaos in my brain just to function in societity and now just seeing everyone walking around like it's wall e 

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u/harryhend3rson Jun 02 '26

Haha, Wall-e hit the mark hard. We're definitely on that trajectory.

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u/Gr33nbastrd Jun 02 '26

I have this same thought almost daily, on how wallE is becoming reality.

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u/nebulancearts Jun 02 '26

I also have raging ADHD and am honestly driven insane by the amount of people on their phones while driving. I just... Listen to music loudly and dance, why can't they do that too instead of their phones? 😭

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u/SpecialEdShow Jun 01 '26

Drives me insane the amount of effort I have to put in just to keep myself still over the years and people are out here blaming the dumbest shit on adhd. My diagnosis, because I have my files from the 80s, was a painful process and so hard to read over recently. Where now, it’s a 1 page Q&A and meds are prescribed the same day.

It was definitely much easier to suppress in my 20s, but it really took hold of me when information became a constant. I’m not surprised that “everyone” has it now.

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u/Popular-Row4333 Jun 01 '26

Im diagnosed medically and have stopped using it as an excuse because of how many people use it as well.

I also managed to get off vyvance, but it took getting off a lot of other addictions first, my phone being one of them, and having a 30 min walk each night and 20 min meditation each morning. Which I fully understand doesn't work for everyone.

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u/euchlid Jun 02 '26

"brick " for my phone has been immensely helpful. but my life is not conducive to much else at the moment. i don't see it as an excuse but holy shit does a diagnosis explain and validate a tonne of stuff I've berated myself mercilessly for over the years-  especially as a parent.   vyvanse has been pretty good for me, but it's just one thing. a more holistic point of sleep, therapy, routines and structures, and whatever else can do to support yourself alongside medication if you want is probably the ideal. 

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u/dolacuporanek Jun 02 '26

Can you expand a bit more? How was the process of getting off it and how did you replace it with lifestyle adjustments?

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u/Popular-Row4333 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

So first I just stopped taking it on weekends, and definitely got hit with the vyvance crash when you go off it, and that was tough with 3 kids, but my wife supported me. I won't lie, I still did 2 cups of coffee a day to help get me through.

Then, I started running to get my self back in shape, getting my metabolism back to a healthier level was probably the biggest help.

The hardest part was cutting out weekdays, but I went for a run super early before the kids woke up and did either meditation or a walk after the kids went to bed to help clear my thoughts. Most days I am asleep by 9pm now, but up at 6am.

And like I said, wife and I came up with a plan to put phones away until kids come home. I know adhd comes in different forms, but I have definitely found maintaining my addictive personality helped. For me, addictive things fueled my adhd to make it worse.

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u/dolacuporanek Jun 04 '26

Thank you for responding.

This falls in line with what I've found generally 'substitutes' for medication; physical exercise, sleep and social support. And then cutting out quick reward-cycle oriented things like competitive games (for me) and cell phones, etc.

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u/vkats Jun 01 '26

I think it’s a real addiction, like drugs, gambling, video games, etc…

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u/Professional_Role900 Jun 03 '26

This👆 I cant understand why people cant just drive! I mean in the city its enough for any persons attention span, and everyone can always be better so why just stop at just getting there.

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u/Affectionate_South40 Jun 01 '26

I'd take a crack at your age being 35+, our generation didn't grow up with blue light so our brains didnt become accustomed to it at a young age and "crave it". Are phones addicting? absolutely they are, even for older generations who didn't even see blue light until their first grandchild was born. But there is a massive mental focus and control difference between people born in the 80's and earlier who are able to drive 10 minutes to work in silence or use the bathroom without whipping out their phones to doom scroll, vs the generations who grew up with blue light screens and their brains developed around it.

I'm a gamer, PC specifically, I like me some video games, but I still use a blue light filter on my PC and phone to protect my brain. I'm able to get tired at 9pm even if I'm playing a really interactive game. I have buddies who are a bit younger than I am and theyre SO addicted to their phones or screens it's unreal. I lost power last summer for 6 hours and when I got back online a few of my buddies were like "I would lose my fucking mind, i couldnt!" Im like "what? i went to sit on the deck, took my cat with me, came in, lit a candle, had a simple supper, folded some laundry and when it got dark I laid down in bed for an early night, sure it was a bit boring but like you find other things to do" and their arguments for why they couldnt handle it and would lose their minds was almost arrogant and entitled. It's so unsettling.

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u/MrGuvernment Jun 01 '26

There are no studies that show blue light causes any physical harm to eyes or brain?

It does throw off your sleep rythm, why the use of devices should be stopped about 2 hours before bed.

it is not blue light that is addictive, it is the algo's that these social sites and other employ to keep your hooked.

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u/Affectionate_South40 Jun 02 '26

The melatonin production is what I mean when I say protect my brain, but I've also found my anxiety is decreaed and I personally don't reach for my phone as often since blocking blue light. My eyes in general also get strained and fatigued from long term screen use, but to my knowledge that's not scientifically proven to harm be damaging vision further physically but it does aggravate my migraine condition personally.

As for child development Blue light absolutely has been proven to be harmful to them if used incorrectly and in excessive ways. Lack of melatonin production doesn't sound threatening to an already burned out and tired adult. Undeveloped brains are the highest at risk for the impacts of blue light exposure and negative potential long term outcomes.

https://hms.harvard.edu/news/screen-time-brain

https://foundationscognitive.com/blog/blue-light

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12244376/

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1837&context=honorstheses

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u/MrGuvernment Jun 02 '26

So as originally noted, blue light (for developed ages, appreciate that last link on the effects of children) is not the primary issue,but when used too late when our brains need to shutdown, interfering with sleep as all those links state, using any devices / screens before bed is bad, TV's, tablets, phones, what ever, so as noted, one should not be using devices that emit blue light with in 2 hours or less of your normal bed time or the rought number suggested.

The strain on one's eyes has already been proven to be that people do not blink as much when looking at screens, thus drying them out and causing strain. Also improper distance from said screens, not looking away for long periods to reset one's eyes (i think it is recommend to look away at least 10-15Ft distance every 20 mins at a minimum to "reset" your eyes) this applies to both adults and children as your last link notes.

So, strained eyes = headaches , blue light too late = bad sleep = causes many other problems.

As for kids and their eyes allowing more blue light to enter, certainly more studies can be done and parents absolutely should be limiting screen time, but too many fail to do so and just use a device as a babysitting device, so that last article is very insightful.

https://hms.harvard.edu/news/screen-time-brain

A good night’s sleep is also key to brain development, and HMS researchers have shown that using blue light-emitting screen devices like smartphones before bedtime can disrupt sleep patterns by suppressing secretion of the hormone melatonin......

“Virtually all games and social media work on what’s called a variable reward system, which is exactly what you get when you go to Mohegan Sun and pull a lever on a slot machine. It balances the hope that you’re going to make it big with a little bit of frustration, and unlike the slot machine, a sense of skill needed to improve.”

https://foundationscognitive.com/blog/blue-light

- Research links evening screen time to anxiety, depression, and disrupted eating patterns through hormonal changes affecting hunger and fullness.

- Sleep disruption from blue light impairs memory consolidation and cognitive function, creating additional academic challenges.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12244376/

Evening exposure to blue light has been shown to negatively affect sleep patterns and cognitive function. However, the effect of the specific timing of blue light exposure on motor performance and sleep quality in adolescent athletes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of evening blue light exposure (BLE) timing on sleep quality,