Fatal forgetfulness on road? It could be highway hypnosis

It is common to drive on long, desolate highways with less traffic and an unchanging scenery on either side of the road. Such roads look peaceful and apparently come with no obvious risk. However, they might not be entirely harmless, experts suggest.

Sometimes, drivers may experience brief episodes of forgetfulness while driving on these monotonous motorways. 

One may look at the signboard and find the estimated distance to reach the destination is about 150 kms and just a few minutes later, the distance rapidly drops to 130 kms, leaving the driver confused about the lost 20 kms.

“Did I see the wrong signboard?” the person driving may ask.

However, the distance did not magically vanish out of nowhere. The person on the driving seat went into a ‘trance-like’ state, causing them to miss count of the passing miles.

Experts call it highway hypnosis and the phenomenon is an understated cause of fatal road accidents in the country.

What is highway hypnosis?

A hypnotherapist talking to BBC said driving long distances can cause the brain to behave in a manner similar to sitting in meditation.

The person affected by it is attentive, but not totally involved in the process, causing the reaction time to get reduced.

Some experts compare it with a brain going on ‘autopilot’ mode where the subconscious starts to take control of the action.

This transition involves changes in the attention, eye movements and memory of the driver.

Due to the lack of changing background, for instance, the same kind of trees on either side of the road or similar white lines, the conscious brain becomes too focused on driving, no longer interested in the surroundings and eventually loses alertness. The limbs are conditioned to keep the action going and therefore, the driver won’t stop driving, but will become hyper focused on the fixed background. This becomes dangerous if there is a sudden change in the scene like another vehicle speeding alongside or any other unpredictable object on the road.

As per studies, the brain also begins to stop paying attention to the visual stimulus. This can happen because of a perceived predictability, causing the brain to no longer depend on retinal inputs.

Experts also found fatigue and sleep deprivation to play a role in highway hypnosis. 

A 2003 study on male drivers found their fatigue peaked after 20 minutes of continuous driving which could enable them to enter this trance-like state faster.

Signs for the driver to stop immediately

As per a study published in the National Library of Medicine, driving without attention is more common in a highly predictable environment, for instance, a well travelled lane or a long stretch of a predictable road. The study also found that driving hypnosis was more likely to happen on motorways than residential lanes where lot of activities are going on either side of the driving patch.

The following are signs of driving hypnosis as listed by Healthline:

• Feeling sleepy

• Eyelids becoming heavy

• Wandering thoughts

• Dull gaze on the road

• Frequent blinking.

• Accidentally drifting lanes.

• Forgetting the patch travelled.