Inside the commuting driver’s wandering mind

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore how frequently drivers report mind wandering during their daily commute, and to learn more about how conscious and unconscious processes combine during everyday driving. We recorded 587 thought samples across 110 drives by eleven female participants aged between 28 and 48 years who regularly drive between home and work. Using a probe-catch descriptive experience sampling procedure, thought samples were captured and categorised according to whether they were driving-related or not, and according to their trigger (sensory vs internal). We found that drivers on the daily commute reported mind wandering on 63% of reports, and were actively focused on the driving task for between 15% and 20% of samples. For the remaining one fifth of thought samples, drivers were not actively thinking about anything in particular. Over half of drivers’ mind wandering reports were related to things they saw or heard, suggesting that although they are not directly focused on driving all of the time, they frequently and habitually scan the road and roadside environment. When momentary driving task demands do not command attention, drivers’ minds wander towards personal current concerns. Mind wandering is often triggered by what drivers see or hear. These findings suggest that in familiar, undemanding situations, drivers are more likely to be found mind wandering than focusing on driving, however mind wandering is swiftly interrupted when driving task demands command effortful attention. The results have implications for research into mind wandering, implying that a baseline of sustained task focus is not the norm when driving the daily commute. Researchers and policy-makers ought to consider how to design road and traffic systems that align with drivers’ unconscious expectations.