Driving your car like a F1 superstar could actually reduce your risk of having an accident. But that doesn't mean driving at more than 200mph - it's all in your head
YOU might think cruising through the streets like Lewis Hamilton would be a bit of a threat to public safety - but it could actually reduce your risk as a driver.
New research has found skills displayed by professional drivers at high speeds can be used by regular drivers to make them much safer everyday.
And while that's not encouraging you to fly down the A roads at 200mph, everyday drivers can certainly learn a lot from the racing professionals.
Research conducted by Ford and the King's College London found zoning into the same high-performance mindset as a racing driver could be the key to succeeding in high-pressure situations for the average person.
As part of the testing, a mix of professional drivers and regular motorists had their brain activity monitored while driving through a racing simulator.
For the regular drivers, a select few were asked to complete a number of mental preparation exercises before taking on the test - including simple breathing exercises, meditation, and a visualisation technique that uses keywords to describe the task ahead.
The results showed those drivers who had practised the mental focus drills showed performance improve by as much as 50 per cent compared with those that didn't use anything to focus their mind.
Dr Elias Mouchlianitis, neuroscience researcher at King’s College London, said: “The study data revealed that when travelling at high speed and in a state of high focus, racing drivers’ brains performed up to 40 per cent better when it comes to ignoring distractions than yours or mine.
“The interesting thing we found, however, was that when normal people performed some simple mental exercises, they were also able to reach this higher level of performance.”
According to the study, the everyday driver could significantly reduce their risk of being involved in an accident by practising similar focus techniques each time they drive.
FIA World Touring Car Championship winner Andy Priaulx, who participated in the study, said: “When things get tough and the pressure’s on that’s when you need to get in this zone, and the good guys, the successful racing drivers, are able to do that whether that’s on the track or off it.
“Racing drivers aren't necessarily born with this skill.
"Our experiment showed that simple mental training ahead of a task can help anyone to improve focus and ignore distractions, making them more successful at the task in hand.”
