You would think that car accidents declined in 2020 because of fewer people on the road, but car accidents actually increased. One of the reasons why people are getting into more auto accidents is the cognitive overload that Zoom meetings and other similar technologies are causing.
Cognitive overload
It’s dangerous to drive right after spending hours in a Zoom meeting or another type of video conference call before your brain has had a chance to rest. You are in cognitive overload. This makes it more difficult for you to concentrate, thus increasing the chance of motor vehicle accidents.
A Root Insurance study reported that 54% of respondents said they have trouble concentrating while driving after a video conference. The youngest drivers had the most difficulty with this issue. It was found that 65% of Generation Z drivers said they lost focus while driving compared to only 48% of Generation X drivers. Millennials were close to Generation Z drivers with 61% of them losing focus while driving.
Decline in driving skills
In 2020, driving skills have gone down, which also contributes to an increased likelihood of crashing a car when driving after a Zoom meeting. The reason why driving skills have declined may be because of people spending less time on the road due to the transition to working from home.
Zoning out and checking your phone
Both checking your phone and zoning out while driving are dangerous. When you zone out because of your inability to focus, you might not react quickly to a hazard on the road such as someone cutting in front of you or debris being in your path. In the brief four seconds it takes you to read a text message, you could have traveled more than 400 feet at 60 mph completely unaware of the road ahead or your surroundings.
A lot of people think they’re good at multitasking, but human brains become overloaded, which decreases their ability to make good decisions and react quickly to dangers. Get away from screens for a few minutes and rest your mind after a Zoom meeting before you get behind the wheel. Also avoid checking text messages while driving. These precautions will help reduce car accidents.
