Mindfulness, inattention and performance in a driving simulator

Abstract

The following study will explore the link between mindfulness, driver inattention and a number of driving performance variables that were tested using the SIMUVEG driving simulator. 67 subjects between the ages of 19 and 27 completed the mindful attention awareness scale, attention‐related driving errors scale and attention‐related cognitive errors scale questionnaires, and were evaluated in two driving performance measures: time to line‐crossing and mean speed. The results did not show a correlation between driving performance and mindfulness measures; they did show low but significant correlations with driver inattention measures. A regression analysis suggested that the specific measure of driver inattention is a predictor of driving performance, but the more general measures are not. These results are relevant to the assessment of psychological variables associated with driving performance.