Fit-for-Driving No. 12: Automaticity

Avoid being preoccupied or distracted when you drive as it taxes the brain's resources for giving accurate communication and focus to the task at hand. Think back at a time when you were on autopilot and multitasking at the same time (automaticity), and perhaps touched something sharp or hot because you were distracted or multitasking. The same inattention can occur when you try to multitask while driving. Researchers have found that driving is a more complex task than we realize and that our full attention is needed for the complexities, precision needs, and responsibilities of driving. Interestingly, these same researchers tested the reflexes of a group of test subjects while multitasking, who were both sober and legally drunk, and they found that the persons who were sober and multitasking had the same reduced reflexes as someone who was legally drunk doing the same grouping of tasks. The tests revealed that just like those individually who were legally drunk, the persons tested while multitasking, and who were sober, were missing large amounts of peripheral vision information, which affected their reflexes and decision-making.