monotonous

If you drive on Australian roads you may come across unusual signs and we are not talking about the kangaroos warning (that also), but the one that warns you that you are about to cross the “90 Mile Straight“, a stretch of almost 150 kilometers in a straight line that means spending just under two hours without turning the steering wheel. Or a sign that directly throws you a random question typical of Trivial. The objective is that your brain does not disconnect because on such a monotonous route, boredom can be lethal. In fact, Australia has some of the most dangerous roads in the world and it is not because of their poor condition or their dizzying curves, quite the opposite: they are too long, too straight and too empty. So the country is exploring different solutions to avoid this potentially deadly drowsiness. Boring Australian roads. All of these roads have decent pavement, a predictable layout, a landscape with little variation and little traffic, a recipe for disaster: The Eyre Highway takes the cake: it connects Western Australia with South Australia across the plain Nullarbor Plain (which takes its name from the Latin: treeless) between Balladonia and Caiguna: 200,000 square kilometers of limestone land with hardly any vegetation or hills. A 146.6 km straight line without a single curve that you have to travel at 110 km/h (the legal limit in most of the country). After the Saudi Arabia Highway 10is the second longest straight road in the world. The Stuart Highway It crosses the center of the continent from north to south, from Darwin to Port Augusta, traveling more than 2,700 kilometers inland on a fairly simple route that also crosses the Northern Territory. There it has large stretches through northern areas with distances up to 252 kilometers Between gas stations, temperatures of up to 45 °C are reached and a landscape monotony that has little to envy of the Nullarbor. In fact, one of the roads with the highest rate of fatigue accidents in the country, according to the Australian government. The Barkly Highway It connects Queensland to the Northern Territory via the Barkly Tableland, a flat, arid plateau where the road stretches almost straight for hundreds of kilometres. The extreme heat, the total absence of shade and the sections without signage or rest areas make it a minefield for those who travel through it. The Flinders Highway Also in Queensland it runs through the interior of the state for more than 800 kilometers. It connects Townsville with the interior through a repetitive landscape, with little traffic and long distances between towns, the ideal breeding ground for boredom. At night it is even worse. The danger of road hypnosis. The highway hypnosis or white line fever is more than just being bored and drowsy: it is an altered mental state that allows you to continue driving, responding to basic stimuli and maintaining speed, but without being aware of what you are doing. Simply put: put your brain on automatic mode. science has an explanation: Flat, straight roads with little landscape variation produce a chronic deficiency of sensory stimulation, reducing alertness to dangerously low levels, causing drowsiness and inattention. This study on the phenomenon explains that cognitive fatigue reaches its peak just 20 minutes after entering that monotonous environment, much sooner than it might seem, even for those who are driving. When the brain warns, it has already been on autopilot for a while. The consequences can be tragic: unconscious speed increases or a minimal reaction capacity that already causes havoc. In Australia, fatigue while driving is four times more likely as a cause of this road hypnosis than drugs or alcohol. In Queensland, it accounts for 20 to 30% of road deaths. A15, Queensland. Via Google Maps Trivia on signs. The solution that Australian authorities have been implementing for years is so simple that it is shocking: posters with a question and answer game. As you enter one of those boringly dangerous areas, you come across a yellow sign that warns: “Fatigue Zone. Trivia Games Help You Stay Alert” (Fatigue zone. Trivia games to help you stay alert). From that moment on, you will find signs scattered along the route several kilometers away with a question and his corresponding response. Example: Question: Who was the first Premier of Queensland? Answer: Robert Herbert. And so on. The cognitive mechanism is exactly what science describes: introducing an unexpected and irrelevant stimulus for driving that forces the brain to come off autopilot. So the driver has to read, process the question, remember and, if there is a co-driver, even debate the answer. And then wait to see the solution a little later. A simple but effective way to activate the mind. Each question and answer is glued to the panel and secured with a padlock, allowing them to be renewed. And does it work? Well, probably yes, but no one has rigorously measured it. However, in theory the mechanism is supported by neuroscience. Professor Narelle Haworth, Director of the Center for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland, endorses his presence: “Always doing the same thing, without much stimulation, causes a decrease in alertness (…) The idea of ​​trivia games on the road is to keep drivers more attentive… perhaps a passenger who knows the answer will start a conversation.” But Haworth herself acknowledges that although the objective is in line with road safety research, there is no study that has specifically analyzed the impact of the signs. In addition, it has its limitations: the signs lose effectiveness with those who travel the same route frequently and already know all the questions. And obviously they have a quite common risk in these times: Someone might think to look at their cell phone to look for the answer. And in any case, it does not replace rest. Triple animal sign. Bahnfrend, Wikimedia Trivia by dropper. This measure started in 2012 by the Queensland Transport Administration with the aim of “helping drivers … Read more