As motorists, we know that driving requires our full attention. But driving can also be meditative. You might be driving down the highway, staring at the same vehicle and road ahead of you for miles, and before you know it, you’re at your destination. You might even go for a drive at night to wind down after a long day at work or relax when you’re feeling stressed.
Whatever the case, if you’ve ever driven somewhere without realizing how you got there, you’ve experienced highway hypnosis.
But highway hypnosis can be incredibly dangerous. In this blog post, we explain what it is, why it happens, how to avoid highway hypnosis and your options for recovering compensation if you’re injured in an auto accident caused by this common condition.
What Is Highway Hypnosis and What Does It Feel Like?
Highway hypnosis, also called white-line fever, is best described as a dream or trance-like state experienced while fully awake.
You might experience something similar while doing a task that might be repetitive or feel monotonous. Say you’re doing the dishes, and you’re staring off into space, acting on autopilot, then you “come to” and realize you’ve finished.
Highway hypnosis is similar:
- You might check the time at 5 pm knowing you still have an hour’s drive ahead of you, only to check again in what feels like just a short time later to find yourself at your destination, wondering where the last hour went.
- You might miss an exit and not realize until minutes later.
- You stop at a red light and can’t recall whether you were following the speed limit.
- You turn at an intersection and realize you can’t remember whether or not you signaled.
But there’s a big difference between zoning out at home and driver hypnosis. One is fairly innocuous, while the other can be devastating, resulting in a severe or life-threatening crash.
Why Does Highway Hypnosis Happen?
Highway hypnosis often happens automatically and without a driver consciously knowing about it. It’s this recognition that primarily differentiates highway hypnosis from distracted driving.
When a driver is distracted because they are talking on the phone or eating a snack, they have consciously decided to do it. However, an otherwise law-abiding driver can quickly slip into a hypnotic state and not realize until they come out of it and can’t remember where time has gone, how they got to where they are, or their actions on the road from just a few moments prior.
So why does it happen?
The Common Causes of Highway Hypnosis
Automaticity
Automaticity is one of the common causes of driver hypnosis. As the name suggests, automaticity causes drivers to operate on autopilot — they drive without actively thinking about the process, meaning their full attention is not on the road.
It’s important to differentiate automaticity from automatism.
Automatism is a defense available to a criminal defendant who is not in control or aware of their actions. Consider the following:
- An individual who is sleepwalking crashes their car while driving around the block during an episode.
- A driver suddenly sneezes, causing them to miss a hazard that suddenly appears because their eyes shut involuntarily.
- A person with no prior symptoms of epilepsy has a seizure while driving and crashes their vehicle.
These examples share one thing in common: each driver’s actions are involuntary, and they are either unaware or unable to control their actions and physical responses.
Familiarity
Highway hypnosis can also happen on familiar roads. If you’re used to driving the same route every day, you risk becoming detached and operating your vehicle without being fully present and aware of your actions.
While it’s easy to assume driver hypnosis is more likely to affect motorists who have been driving for decades, especially if they’re traveling a familiar route, white-line fever can equally affect new drivers.
Monotony
Long, flat roads with minimal or repetitive scenery can lull drivers into a trance-like state, regardless of whether they’ve had their license for a few months or years. The lack of visual stimuli, whether signs, pedestrians, bridges, and trees to break up the scenery, can cause the brain to effectively switch off as you become less dependent on physical feedback, akin to staring off into space when daydreaming and not hearing a conversation happening right in front of you.
This can also cause fatigue to set in, which poses the obvious danger of drivers falling asleep behind the wheel.
Drowsiness
Like highway hypnosis, which can cause tiredness, drowsy drivers are likely to “zone out” while driving. However, while fatigue can both cause and exacerbate white-line fever, highway hypnosis is not the same as fatigued driving. A motorist in a trance-like state may not remember entire portions of their drive, but they are fully conscious, unlike a driver who shuts their eyes while driving, falls asleep, and risks losing control of their vehicle.
Why Is Highway Hypnosis Dangerous?
Many individuals who drive on autopilot get from A to B safely — even if they may not remember how. But it only takes a moment for a hazard to appear, and this is when a seemingly innocent daydream can turn into a nightmare. Motorists must be able to react quickly to ever-changing road conditions, whether an animal darting into the road or another motorist changing lanes unsafely, running a red light at an intersection, or braking suddenly in front of you.
A driver in a hypnotized state may be conscious, but that doesn’t mean their reactions are not impaired. Let’s take that last example: you’re driving a safe distance behind the vehicle ahead, but they brake suddenly. A driver paying full attention to the road has a far better chance of reacting instantly to avoid a crash. But a person experiencing driver hypnosis must instead use that short moment to snap back to reality, and by then, it’s too late — they’ve crashed head-on into the rear of the other vehicle, causing damage and injuries.
How to Avoid Highway Hypnosis
The best way to avoid highway hypnosis is to understand why and how it happens. From there, you can take steps to reduce the risk.
Understand the Warning Signs
Several signs or symptoms can increase the risk of entering autopilot and losing focus, including:
- Feeling tired
- Having difficulty concentrating or feeling foggy or dazed
- Noticing you are staring off into space or your mind is wandering
- Being slow to notice visual stimuli or reacting to passengers, other motorists, or lights.
Take a Break
It’s good practice to take regular breaks when driving for a significant period, even if you do not feel drowsy or at risk of zoning out. If possible, stop somewhere you can safely get out of your vehicle to get some fresh air and stretch and move around, if only for a few minutes.
If you can’t exit your vehicle, pull over safely and wind down your windows or turn on the air conditioning in warm weather. Heat can make you feel tired and make it harder for you to concentrate, so a blast of cool air can keep you feeling sharp. You might also want to have something to eat to keep your energy levels up and have some coffee or water to keep you energized and hydrated.
Stop If You Feel Tired
While a dose of caffeine can help you feel more alert, you should not rely on it to keep you awake if you’re sleepy. If you need to continue driving — for example, you’re alone and need to get home — consider stopping for a quick power nap.
Talk to Someone
Talking can keep you engaged and provide a healthy distraction from driver hypnosis — providing your attention remains on the road. You might not have the luxury of driving with a passenger who can keep you alert. In this case, consider calling a friend or relative using a hands-free device. Alternatively, there’s nothing wrong with talking or singing to yourself.
Consider Your Environment
You might find a particular radio host’s voice soothing or enjoy cruising down the highway listening to a gentle classical playlist, but being too relaxed while driving is an open invitation to driver hypnosis. Playing upbeat music or listening to an engaging audiobook or talk radio show can keep your attention up.
Also, consider how you’re seated in your vehicle. Keeping your seat straight will help you maintain good posture while driving, reducing the risk of getting too comfortable and slipping into a trance-like state.
Avoid Driving at Night
The roads are often quieter at night, which is often part of the appeal for motorists who enjoy driving in the late — or early — hours. However, reduced road activity and stretches of dark sky make it easy to lose focus because there’s little visual stimulus to keep you engaged. If you must drive, take steps to break up the monotony by winding down the window and taking in the night breeze or playing upbeat music.
What If Highway Hypnosis Leads to an Accident?
We’ve explored why driver hypnosis can happen and why it’s dangerous, but what if you’re in an accident caused by white-line fever?
Highway hypnosis may be a common phenomenon, but it’s not a legal defense to avoid liability. Motorists owe each other a duty of care to drive as safely as possible, which extends to staying alert and focused on the road.
A driver may not know they’ve lost concentration until they make a wrong turn or finish their trip and realize they’ve lost track of time. However, unless their memory lapse was involuntary — they could not control or prevent it — they can be held liable if they cause a crash while driving on autopilot.
The reality is simple: driver hypnosis is preventable, and every motorist is responsible for recognizing when they might be at risk and to either stop driving or take steps to maintain attention on the road.
A driver who causes a crash under highway hypnosis isn’t necessarily reckless — they did not intend to enter a dream-like state, let alone cause harm. However, their failure to look out for the warning signs and prevent themselves from losing awareness constitutes negligence, and if you’re injured due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries and losses.
The challenge comes in proving the driver was experiencing highway hypnosis during the accident, which is why it’s vital to consult an experienced personal injury lawyer. Our accident attorney in McAllen and San Antonio can gather eyewitness testimony and consult medical and automotive professionals with extensive knowledge of highway hypnosis to support your claim.
What If You Cause an Accident While Experiencing Driver Hypnosis?
If you crash your vehicle because you lose awareness while driving down a long, flat road and sustain injuries that need substantial treatment and leave you unable to work, you might wonder whether you can claim compensation.
The answer depends on how the accident happened and if anyone else is partly responsible.
Texas has modified comparative negligence laws, which allow injury victims to recover compensation in a motor vehicle lawsuit if a jury finds them less than 51% liable for the accident. If you are driving under highway hypnosis and it directly contributes to your crash, you are liable, but you may not be entirely at fault if another driver is acting recklessly or negligently.
For example, if you can prove that the other driver in the accident was speeding and you would have been unable to avoid the collision even if you were attentive, you might not be found majorly liable. Therefore, you could recover compensation.
When comparative negligence applies, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, so if a jury finds you 30% responsible and awards a payout of $100,000, you would receive the remaining 70% — or $70,000. If you partly contributed to your accident because you were not fully focused, you should not immediately discount the possibility of receiving compensation. However, you should consult an experienced Texas personal injury attorney to explore your options.
If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a driver with highway hypnosis, you could be entitled to compensation for your resulting medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. Patino Law Firm offers a free, no-obligation case review so you can learn where you stand. We provide five-star-rated personal injury services in English and Spanish and serve the entire Rio Grande Valley and Greater San Antonio, from New Braunfels to Harlingen.
You don’t pay fees until we win. Call 855-LAW-NINJA to speak to our experienced McAllen and San Antonio car accident lawyers and see if you have a claim.
