Highway hypnosis
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Highway hypnosis is a mental state in which the person can drive an automobile great distances, responding to external events in the expected manner, with no recollection of having consciously done so. In this state the consciousness is clearly divided between the driving task and a person’s thoughts on other matters. It is considered to be common and normal in the sense that it is not unusual to experience it.
In some parts of the Southern United States, this phenomenon it is called white-line fever, in reference to the white lines painted on asphalt.
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 the example of highway hypnosis; one stream of consciousness is driving the car while the other stream of consciousness is dealing with other matters. Amnesia can even develop for the dissociated consciousness that drove the automobile. The phenomenon is an example of what a cognitive psychologist would call automatic processing.
While highway hypnosis may be a common experience, common sense suggests that for maximum safety when driving the full weight of consciousness be brought to bear on the task at hand. The addition of penalty switches on cruise controls could help this.
This state also partially explains (albeit not satisfactorily) the vanishing hitchhiker phenomenon.
References
- Weiten, Wayne 2004 (pp 200) Psychology Themes and Variations Sixth Edition Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, Belmont, CA, USA ISBN 0-534-59769-6
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