Drivers Using Mobile Phones in Traffic: An Ethnographic Study of Interactional Adaptation

Mobile phone use in cars is a highly debated issue. Legislation and policy discussions flourish in many countries and coincide with an increased effort in design of new in-car technologies. The studies which influence policy and design decisions use experimental approaches and are based on a cognitive perspective. In this paper, we discuss why this is a problematic approach. Further, we provide data and initial results from an ethnographic study of mobile phone use in traffic, where the aim is to investigate the ‘interactional adaptation’ by which the driver fit the involvement with the phone with driving and vice versa. By taking part of drivers’ daily work, and video recording their activities of driving and handling the mobile phone, we are able to reveal details which we believe could not be found in experimental studies with a constructed setup. We end with a discussion of the benefits of this method and how it can be developed further.