The impact of emotion, life stress and mental health issues on driving performance and safety

摘要

Driver distraction is a significant road safety problem, worldwide. While observable distractions have been studied extensively (e.g. visual distraction due to interactions with a mobile phone), less obvious sources of distraction, such as that derived from being emotionally aroused, have not been so frequently examined. As such, the overarching purpose of this article is to review relevant literature and present an analysis of how emotions may impact on driving performance and safety. Three potential impacts can be discerned from the literature: (a) elicited emotions, both positive and negative, may impact on driving performance; (b) the experience of stressful life events (e.g. financial issues) may 'spill over' into other areas of ones' life, and impact driving safety; and (c) mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, may impair driving performance and safety. The implications of these findings are discussed and some potentially fruitful avenues for future research are suggested.