Highway Hypnosis Hides Entire Journeys

Highway hypnosis, also known as white line fever, is an altered mental state in which a driver can travel long distances safely and correctly without consciously remembering the journey. The driver's attention shifts elsewhere while the brain continues processing road conditions and controlling the vehicle subconsciously, a process psychologists call automaticity. Monotonous scenery, repetitive lane markings, fatigue, and familiar roads can trigger the state, which leaves drivers slower to react when something unexpected happens.

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