Mobile Minute: NYT game shows you how stupid it is to text while driving

It's not a game in the "collect 100 coins and get an extra life" sense, but the New York Times' Gauging Your Distraction is out to teach you a lesson about safety.

Once the game starts, you'll be driving down a stretch of the New Jersey turnpike Parkway (thanks, Will!) - I can't think where else you'd encounter this many tollbooths. Tap the corresponding number when a gate lights up or an overhead sign alerts you which one will open.

At the same time, you'll need to mouse over your Grayberry and respond to incoming text messages from your friends, who want to take you out to dinner and Broadway show (or movie). At the end of the game, you'll be shown a chart that details the effect of texting on your responsiveness.

I may have done slightly better than the average Times reader in my trial, but I completely failed to notice the gray silhouette of a woman at any point during the game. The .2 second texting reduced my reaction time could well have caused me to bounce her off my front bumper.

Trying to grab a screenshot threw my numbers off a bit as well, but I'm not going to argue with the Times on this one. To quote Emmanuel Goldstein, "That's universally stupid, man!"