According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 633 people died in police-reported motor vehicle crashes in 2023 because of drowsy-driving conditions. Before falling asleep, some drivers experienced an altered state of consciousness known as highway hypnosis. Read on to learn more about this previously little-known-yet-common driving danger and how to avoid it while behind the wheel…
Startling Unreported Drowsy-Driving Statistics
Risky driving practices such as speeding, alcohol use and distracted driving are some of the most common causes of car accidents. A recent study of car accidents in Spokane, Washington found that the most common cause of car accidents was distracted driving. Drowsy driving is also a common cause of collisions that result in injury or death.
As noted by the National Safety Council, drowsy-driving crashes are difficult to track. There is simply no easy way to determine if a driver crashed because of fatigue unless they make statements that indicate they fell asleep. As a result, there’s no easy way of knowing how much highway hypnosis acts as a contributing factor except via self-reporting and computer simulations. That said, many traffic experts believe drowsy driving and related highway hypnosis cause more fatalities than reported by police or the NHTSA.
For example, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety researched national crashes from 2009 to 2013. In a November 2014 report, it reported that trained investigators who reviewed crashes that involved tows and hospital visits found that approximately 6,400 people likely died each year in passenger vehicle drowsy-driving crashes. A more recent study of fatal crashes from 2017 to 2021 revealed an average of 5,967 people dying annually from drowsy-driving conditions. These numbers didn’t include motorcycles, buses, big rigs or other large vehicles.
How Does Highway Hypnosis Cause Crashes?
Highway hypnosis occurs when a driver’s brain takes a temporary break from conscious actions. The driver falls into a trance-like state in which reality becomes distorted, even while they continue to drive and respond as if fully awake and attentive. Their brain subconsciously handles inputs from around them, the vehicle, and even the road, but their reaction time slows. Drivers who experience this condition often can’t consciously remember every part of a drive, especially the period right before a crash.
Why Does Highway Hypnosis Happen?
Many people refer to highway or road hypnosis as “white line fever.” Researchers originally believed it was only caused by a monotonous drive on a long stretch of highway or in a tunnel, especially in a rural area, in which a driver sees little traffic, few changes in the landscape, and only the white lines ahead of them.
With more studies, scientists learned that the brain goes into autopilot when a person drives a familiar stretch of road as well. The brain stops relying entirely on the visual or auditory inputs and, instead, switches to pattern recognition and predictive actions. Of course, these aren’t the only causes. Repetitive sights and sounds can naturally cause some people to drift into trances or fall asleep. These same stimuli, including flickering white lights, white lines and breaks in lines, can even cause seizures.
Common Signs of Highway Hypnosis
Drowsy-driving crashes often happen between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. because people are driving when their bodies naturally want to sleep. Yet, many incidents of highway hypnosis also happen during the day when people are driving long distances for commutes, business trips, vacations and other events. Some cases don’t involve other vehicles or passengers. A driver simply drifts off the road and doesn’t brake or stop until they crash into something.
A driver receives plenty of warnings, but they’re usually unable to recognize what is happening to them. Common signs of fatigue include fast blinking, heavy eyelids, squinting, head jerking or nodding, repeated or wide yawning, and unconscious speed reduction. With highway hypnosis, the warning signs also include feeling bored or dazed, an inability to focus or pay attention, increased driving mistakes, and wandering thoughts. Even with sleeping passengers in the vehicle, a driver might experience highway hypnosis or drowsy driving because of a lack of stimuli.
Methods for Preventing Highway Hypnosis
The first step to preventing highway hypnosis is sleep. Drivers should get enough sleep before travel. They should also avoid alcohol and any medications that might cause them to feel fatigue. Since it only takes a few seconds of loss of consciousness to crash, a driver should pull over and sleep for at least 20 minutes if they feel tired or drift across a rumble strip, into another lane, or too close to the side of the road. To remain vigilant at all times via varied stimuli, a driver should listen to the radio or talk to a passenger, when applicable, without looking away from the road. If they are alone, they should sing, talk to themselves, chew gum, or drink caffeinated coffee.
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