Near-accidents make motorists a racer

Study: Drivers tend to rage after a fright

08/16/2014

If motorists come away with the horror after a near-miss accident, they tend to turf afterwards. As a recent study shows, fear or annoyance in motorists do not lead to more careful, but much faster driving.

Motorists push for near-accident on the tube
A shock should often be beneficial, but for motorists, this does not seem to apply. According to a recent study by the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, after a near-miss, they often press on the tube, as various media report. Fears change the driving behavior to the negative. For example, after a near-crash, drivers drive only for a short time, but accelerate again a short time later, often even exceeding the speed limit. This was shown in a driving simulator experiment with 79 subjects.

Drivers stay in thought in dangerous situations
The study also said that they also drive more unpredictable and steered particularly abruptly. This negatively modified driving style lasts for a few kilometers. It is said that the result is surprising because, after a shock or anxiety situation, people are usually less willing to take risks. The researchers suspect as a reason for the still dangerous driving inattention. Accordingly, the drivers remain with their thoughts in the dangerous situation and do not respond adequately to the current traffic.

Fatigue of the passenger can be dangerous
About another danger lurking in traffic: „Sleeping passengers are contagious“ has been reported recently. The dpa news agency, referring to the renowned sleep researcher Jürgen Zulley, Professor of Biological Psychology at the University of Regensburg, reported that fatigue was rapidly transmitted to the driver in the case of a sleeping passenger. Instantaneous sleep is one of the most common triggers for serious traffic accidents. Passengers should also try to stay awake on longer trips. (Ad)