Route familiarity breeds inattention: A driving simulator study

Failure to see money on a tree: inattentional blindness for objects that guided behavior

“…Mind-wandering was associated with changes in driving including faster speed and slower responses to braking events. Individuals were more likely to drive without awareness on routes they had driven more frequently than on novel routes (Yanko and Spalek, 2013). …”

“…We predicted that even without using cell phones people would sometimes fail to become aware of the obstacles they avoid. In part this should occur because we placed our obstacles in a familiar pathway and this is a situation that should lead to mind-wandering and reduced awareness (Yanko and Spalek, 2013). We also predicted that individuals using their cell phones would be less likely to become aware of the obstacle because this should disrupt the use of focused attention needed for object recognition (Strayer et al, 2003; Hyman et al, 2010).…”

21st century trucking: A trajectory for ergonomics and road freight

“…Commercial vehicle drivers (CVDs) may also exhibit heightened criticism of automation due to professional identity, exposure or familiarity with the traditional task, and some degree of technical knowledge of the current system (Donmez, et al, 2006), a finding which can be further supported by similar human factors research in air traffic control (Bekier, et al, 2012). Working consistently along familiar routes may foster inattentional blindness, which is of particular relevance to ensuring the safety of vulnerable road users (Yanko & Spalek, 2013). Naturalistic data also suggests that professional drivers have faster response times when performing an evasive manoeuver when compared to private vehicle drivers (Dozza, 2013).…”

Differences in Rental and Nonrental Car Crashes

“…On the contrary, it may also result in more cautious behaviors by some drivers who may compensate for the increased risk due to the lack of familiarity. For example, Yanko and Spalek [5] found that route familiarity led to more inattention and Rosenbloom et al [6] found that drivers committed more violations and exhibited more dangerous behaviors in well-known locations compared to less known locations.…”