Inattention Blindness and Distracted Driving

Vocabulary terms and statistics focused on the cognitive limitations of multitasking and the risks of distracted driving from the Chapter 1 lecture transcript.

Inattention blindness

Periods when we go blind to our environment without realizing it, such as when billboards, cars, kids playing, stop signs, and red lights pass us by unnoticed.

Multitasking

The act of quickly shifting our focus from one activity to another, rather than paying attention to more than one complex task at a time.

Talking on the phone crash risk

A behavior that makes drivers $4$ times more likely to crash.

Texting crash risk

A behavior that makes drivers $23$ times more likely to crash.

Examples of driving distractions

Activities like applying makeup, arguing with backseat drivers, fumbling for a water bottle, or engaging in conversation that can hijack a driver's focus.