14 DAY TRIAL // In a new study, Australian researchers reveal that they have uncovered a new series of factors that impair driving. They say that analysis suggest being stressed or full of anxiety while behind the wheel can have the same devastating effects on driving skills as talking on cell phones. The research, led by experts at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), also reveals that anxiety is the main reason why drivers find it increasingly difficult to focus their attention on where they are going. This inattention promotes a significant increase in the number of car accidents, the scientists say.
“Being anxious makes drivers unable to fully focus their attention on the road, particularly in urban areas, where there are plenty of distractions and when time pressured,” explains QUT Center for Accident Research & Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) expert Ides Wong, who won the top RACQ Road Safety Prize for this work. The investigation looked at 75 participants, aged 17 to 46, all of them drivers. The researchers set up stressful scenarios, or ones that evoked anxiety, and then watched the fluctuations and spikes in test subjects' driving performances.
“This study found that highly anxious drivers had significantly longer response times as tasks increased in difficulty. This indicates that high-anxious drivers maintain accuracy at the expense of response time,” she adds. It was also determined that some drivers have a lot slower response times than others, and that this may also contribute to a rise in the number of crashes. This is especially true for urban environments, where billboards, heavy traffic, pedestrians and other distractions compete to take a driver's eyes off the road. “Attention lapses have been shown to be a leading cause of traffic crashes. For example, crash statistics from South Australia revealed inattention was believed to be a major contributing factor in as many as 60 per cent of fatal crashes in 2008,” Wong says.
“What this study aims to do is help drivers recognize the importance of avoiding driving while under stress. Motorists commonly put themselves under unnecessary pressure to arrive quickly at their destination, so simple things like pre-planning your trip or allowing more time to travel can greatly reduce stress levels and help ensure drivers arrive safely. It is important to recognize that being anxious can affect driving ability in the same way as taking your eyes off the road or talking on a mobile phone,” the expert concludes, quoted by PhysOrg.