New Study in Texas Shows the Body’s Reaction to Distracted Driving

Posted on by Defensive Driving | in Distracted Driving, Driving and Safety Tips, Driving Distractions

The-Cost-of-Distracted-Driving

According to a recent study by the University of Houston and Texas A&M University Transportation Institute, when drivers are absent minded, emotional or texting while driving–they found that “drivers’ handling of the wheel became jittery with respect to normal driving.” The jittery steering that resulted in unsafe driving only took place in the case of texting. When driving absent-minded or emotionally charged, the jittery steering resulted in safer driving.

One of the researchers, Ioannis Pavlidis explains, “A likely explanation for this paradox is the function performed by a part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC. ACC is known to automatically intervene as an error corrector when there is conflict. In this case, the conflict comes from the cognitive, emotional and sensorimotor, or texting, stressors. This raises the levels of physiological stress, funneling ‘fight or flight’ energy to the driver’s arms, resulting in jittery handling of the steering wheel.”

Furthermore, what makes texting more dangerous than when driving absent minded or emotional? “The driver’s mind can wander and his or her feelings may boil, but a sixth sense keeps a person safe at least in terms of veering off course,” Pavlidis said. “What makes texting so dangerous is that it wreaks havoc into this sixth sense. Self-driving cars may bypass this and other problems, but the moral of the story is that humans have their own auto systems that work wonders, until they break.”

As distracted driving becomes more of an issue, it’s important to know how our body reacts and why higher risk is directly related to distracted driving. For more driving news, tips, advice, stats and facts, check us out on our Facebook page, or take a driving safety course right here on our website.

|

Customer Reviews

Defensivedriving.com has a ShopperApproved rating of 4.7 based on 126957 ratings and reviews.

sharon nale united states
super easy
cole galloway None, united states
good
Elesa RamirezGuajardo None, united states
Easy registration
Gennetta Baird None, united states
Quick and easy
Troy Montgomery Texas, united states
Simple and quick
Anna Brown united states
easy to enroll & course work is interesting to read and to watch the informative videos
Lee Muniz None, united states
good
Zara Watts Texas, united states
very convenient
Ceasar Ruiz Texas, united states
Quick and simple
Jacob McCarter None, united states
nice
April Goines None, united states
Amazing!
Blake Jenkins None, united states
It is easy to understand
Jonathan Avila None, united states
Easy to Use
See all reviews on shopperApproved.com
Why DefensiveDriving.com
  • 20 Years in Business
  • Over 2 Million Customers Served
  • Highest Possible Better Business Bureau Rating
  • Award Winning Course