Are drivers’ attentional lapses associated with the functioning of the neurocognitive attentional networks and with cognitive failure in everyday life?

Abstract

► Feasibility of Driver Behaviour Questionnaire to study driver inattention is analysed. ► A neurocognitive test on attentional performance was used (ANTI-V). ► A self-report questionnaire on cognitive failure was applied (CFQ). ► Drivers’ attentional lapses are associated with low vigilance and cognitive failure. Driver distraction and inattention are considered among the major contributing factors in road traffic crashes. One of the most widely used tools to study drivers’ attentional lapses and other types of aberrant behaviour is the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). In the present work, further evidence of the feasibility of the DBQ to study driver inattention is provided. The relationships between the DBQ and both a computer-based neurocognitive test on attentional performance (the Attention Network Test for Interactions and Vigilance, ANTI-V) and a self-reported measure of cognitive failure (the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, CFQ) are analysed. Results show that attentional lapses are negatively associated with vigilance and positively associated with cognitive failure. Other types of aberrant behaviour (driving errors, traffic violations and aggressive behaviours) were not found related to the attentional performance indices (executive control, orienting, phasic alertness or vigilance), with the exception of DBQ-Violations and the executive control score in percentage of errors. In addition, the relationship between the other types of aberrant behaviour with cognitive failure was more moderate (except for DBQ-Errors, which was also highly correlated). Overall, these results are consistent with the idea of DBQ-Lapses being related to driving inattention, and suggest that this subscale could be a useful tool to study vigilance-related driving behaviour. Further evidence with improved versions of the DBQ or alternative questionnaires would be helpful to clarify whether proneness to attentional lapses while driving may be associated with different driving performance measures, such as crashes or near misses.