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CrowdScience: Why Do Drivers Zone Out?

Discussion & Talk

Why Do Drivers Zone Out?

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Why Do Drivers Zone Out?

How can your brain handle driving at 70mph while your mind is busy wandering?

Have you ever been out driving and noticed your mind… wandering? CrowdScience listener Sian Gardiner has. When travelling to visit her parents she has to cross a very large, very obvious bridge. But there are times when she finds herself on the other side with no memory of having gone over it. How is that even possible? 
Presenter Geoff Marsh buckles up to find out. He travels through the science of how driving becomes second nature, brakes sharply when he realises he’s not necessarily in conscious control at 70mph, and tries to refocus when he discovers why drivers don’t always see things that are staring them in the face. He also asks what’s happening when our mind drifts away from the road, and what can be done to help drivers pay more attention and reduce accidents. 

Presenter: Geoff Marsh
Producer: Anna Lacey
Sound design: Peregrine Andrews

(Photo: A woman sits in her car, looking through window glass with rain drops. Credit: Getty Images)

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