Highway hypnosis

Highway hypnosis, also known as white line fever, is an altered mental state in which an automobile driver can drive lengthy distances and respond adequately to external events with no recollection of consciously having done so.

It appears that in this state, the driver's conscious attention is fully focused elsewhere, yet their brain is still able to process a significant amount of information related to the road and vehicle control on a subconscious level. Highway hypnosis is a manifestation of the common process of automaticity, the ability to perform complex actions without being consciously aware of the processes involved to do them. In some cases, the trance state in a driver can be so deep that auditory and visual distortions occur.

History

The idea of a hypnotic trance while driving was first described in a 1921 article that mentioned the phenomenon of "road hypnotism": driving in a trance-like state while gazing at a fixed point. A 1929 study, Sleeping with the Eyes Open by Walter Miles, also addressed the subject, suggesting that motorists could fall asleep with their eyes open and continue to steer.

The idea that this phenomenon could explain the unaccountable automobile accidents became popular in the 1950s. The term "highway hypnosis" was coined by G. W. Williams in 1963. Building on the theories of Ernest Hilgard (1986, 1992) that hypnosis is an altered state of awareness, some theorists hold that the consciousness can develop hypnotic dissociation. In highway hypnosis, one stream of consciousness drives the car while the other deals with other matters. Partial or complete amnesia related to the time spent driving under highway hypnosis can develop for the driver involved.