highway hypnosis
Driving without awareness
Highway hypnosis is a trance-like mental state that can occur during long, monotonous drives, where a driver operates the vehicle safely but has no memory of doing so.
The phenomenon involves the brain switching to automatic processing while conscious attention drifts elsewhere: I drove fifty miles in highway hypnosis and couldn't remember any of it.
Also called white line fever.
- automatismInvoluntary mechanical behavior
- white line feverDriving trance from monotony
- blank stareExpressionless, unfocused gaze
- monotonyTiresome lack of change
- open roadUnobstructed route ahead
interstate · microsleeps · daydreaming · road · miles · autopilot · zoning out · spaced out · zoned out · drowsiness · inattention · dissociation · tunnel vision · driving · sensory adaptation · focus · reaction time · alertness
- operator psychologydriver fatigue, pilot fatigue, mental workload, cognitive load, human error
- drivingdrive, steering, driver, acceleration, motorist
- driving slangfloor it, gun it, pedal to the metal, pedal to metal, peel out
- Dissociationdissociation, depersonalization, derealization, multiple personality disorder, alter
highway hypnosishypervigilance
Heightened threat sensitivity
situational awareness · full attention · focused attention · mental acuity · sharp focus
highway, hypnosis, high, hypnotic, hypnotize, hypnotism, hypnotist, hypnotized, hypnotizing