Highway hypnosis

Highway hypnosis, also known as white line fever, is an altered mental state in which an automobile driver can drive lengthy distances and respond adequately to external events with no recollection of consciously having done so. It appears that in this state, the driver's conscious attention is fully focused elsewhere, yet their brain is still able to process a significant amount of information related to the road and vehicle control on a subconscious level. Highway hypnosis is a manifestation of the common process of automaticity, the ability to perform complex actions without being consciously aware of the processes involved to do them. In some cases, the trance state in a driver can be so deep that auditory and visual distortions occur.