Smartphone users need Rules of the Road

Some people walk about and enjoy the scenery, the sights and sounds of the world around them, focusing on what makes them feel happy. Good for them.

As much as I try to do the same, when I walk around I can’t help but notice people doing dumb things with their smartphones. They are in my sights and intrude upon my sounds. They stand out like a sore thumb, literally, from too many swipes across the face of the device that has taken over their lives.

Of course, I have a recent example.

I was walking through a crowded concourse at Sea-Tac Airport last week, with travelers rushing to connecting flights or maybe just to get to the head of the line at Starbucks. The concourse was packed tight with a steady flow of people and roller bags, generally following the protocols of traffic control: Stay in your lane and look before you turn.

But one traveler literally stopped in the middle of traffic to do something on her phone. I’m not sure what. Maybe she needed to order a ride, order lunch or give orders to her children. Maybe she needed to answer a work email or share her Wordle answers with a friend.

Whatever the reason, she had created an obstacle in the middle of the roadway. She did not turn on her hazard flashers, did not set out safety cones or flares — though I suppose flares are illegal in airports. She just stopped, oblivious to the traffic, similar to a driver who is too busy on his phone to notice that the stoplight turned green.

She was driving her smartphone without paying attention. She was one of many people who treat their phones as the most important thing in their world, demanding immediate attention no matter the situation and regardless of rudeness or inconvenience to others.

A boss once told me not to talk about a problem unless I have a solution. So here’s my solution: Just as states have Rules of the Road and require a drivers test before letting someone out on the streets, so too should states adopt Rules of the Smartphone Road. No federal law, that would be political overreach and we can’t have that in an election year.

Nothing excessive, mind you. Not the 94-page drivers manual on the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles website. Or the 25-minute online Know-to-Drive tutorial and questions also on the website. Both are far too long for most smartphone users, who expect the world’s entire history to be condensed into a two-minute YouTube video.

Keep it simple, keep it visual, but require that a user must at least scroll through the Rules of the Smartphone Road and click “I understand” at each rule before unlocking their new phone. And maybe program in a reminder screen every month.

The rules should cover the obvious: Stay off the phone while navigating a crowded parking lot, and never have the phone in your face when turning through an intersection. The rules also could include: No conversations about last night’s date while standing in line with other customers; no speaker phone calls with your colonoscopy doctor while someone is eating their lunch; no setting your phone on the dinner table face up for all to see just how many messages you get; and no taking over every outlet in the airport waiting area to charge your multiple phones.

This isn’t about regulation or prying your phone out of your hands. I am not questioning your Second Amendment right to carry a concealed phone or First Amendment right to speak freely into a $1,000 box of glass and metal.

This is about keeping it in your face and space, not mine.