I think listening while driving is fairly easy, especially on a highway that requires very little thought, listening while working is not easy though.

Driving doesn't require higher order thinking?

I can't do anything else while I'm driving. I'm constantly looking at where people are; who's around me; and where I think other people are going.

Maybe it's just me but I couldn't possibly keep my concentration on a story being read to me while I drive.

Very different for me: unless I'm in a busy and unknown city, driving is pretty much autopilot for my brain.

I guess that is why so many people try to do things like texting while driving. Not saying that's a good thing, just that I think many people feel the same way and their minds want to occupy themselves with other, more interesting things.

In case you can't relate, I guess it would be similar to taking laundry out of a washing machine. It's hard to automate in the sense that you still have to operate that five-fingered hand and think about whether you grabbed something, whether something you're half-holding might fall between the basket and the washing machine (if you have such a gap, that's something to watch out for), so there is definitely some thought to it, but it's also definitely mind-numbing (imagine doing this half an hour without interruption). If this really took half an hour, I bet many people would try to use their free hand to text or scroll past news.

Driving is even worse -- which makes sense, because I think it's a more complex task than vacuuming or washing the dishes or folding laundry.