Study Results from Research Center Broaden Understanding of Risk Management (Linking mind wandering tendency to risky driving in young male drivers)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Fresh data on Risk Management are presented in a new report. According to news reporting originating in Verdun, Canada, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Risky driving is a significant contributor to road traffic crashes, especially in young drivers. Transient mind wandering states, an internal form of distraction, are associated with faster driving, reduced headway distance, slower response times, reduced driver vigilance, and increased crash risk."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Research Center, "It is unclear whether a trait tendency to mind wander predicts risky driving, however. Mind wandering is also associated with poor executive control, but whether this capacity moderates the putative link between mind wandering tendency and risky driving is uncertain. The present study tested whether mind wandering tendency predicts risky driving behaviour in young male drivers aged 18-21 (N = 30) and whether this relationship is mediated by driver vigilance and moderated by executive control capacity. Mind wandering was measured with the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) and the Daydreaming Frequency Scale (DDFS). Risky driving was assessed by mean speed in a driving simulator and driver vigilance was quantified by horizontal eye movements measured with eye tracking. Results showed that greater mind wandering tendency based on SART performance significantly predicts faster mean speed, confirming the main hypothesis. Neither driver vigilance mediated nor executive control capacity moderated this relationship as hypothesized. These findings speak to the complexity of individual differences in mind wandering."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Overall, mind wandering tendency is a significant marker of risky driving in young drivers, which could guide the development of targeted interventions."

For more information on this research see: Linking mind wandering tendency to risky driving in young male drivers. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2018;111():125-132. Accident Analysis and Prevention can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Accident Analysis and Prevention - www.journals.elsevier.com/accident-analysis-and-prevention/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting T.G. Brown, Douglas Hosp, Res Center, Verdun, PQ H4H 1R3, Canada. Additional authors for this research include M.C. Ouimet, J. Jarret, M.S. Cloutier, M. Paquette, N. Badeau and D.A. Albert.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.11.019. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Verdun, Quebec, Canada, North and Central America, Risk Management, Research Center.

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