Behind The Wheel

Driving While Female

If your mother is a haphazard driver, save yourself by keeping mum. Women reminded of the stereotype of females as bad drivers subconsciously conform to that expectation and are twice as likely to run down a jaywalker. Their performance drops as much as if they were driving while dialing.

Virtual Reality, Dude

Men who play virtual racing games drive more aggressively than others. Recliner-seat driving increases risk-taking on the road, but the restart button doesn't work on the actual highway.

Just Hang Up

Driving simulations show that chatting on a cell phone slows drivers down and increases traffic as well as accidents. Going Bluetooth and hands-free doesn't solve the problem. Any phone conversation delays reaction times and distracts the driver from important cues—more so than chatting with a passenger, who knows to pause during tricky lane changes.

Eyes Off My Movie!

It's probably best not to view a DVD while driving—especially if you're watching from another car. Audiovisual displays are proven distractions for automobile occupants, but a study found that peeking across the lane at a nearby car with a nice system also impairs driving—and happens regularly.

Taxing the Brain

London researchers have shown that learning the city's layout boosts the size of the hippocampus—a brain area that aids in spatial navigation—in taxi drivers. Their new finding: One part of the hippocampus gets bigger, while another part shrinks, making cabbies poor learners of visuospatial information.

Catnap or Caffeine?

A cup of coffee and a half-hour nap each improve late-night driving performance in young and middle-aged adults, but while naps work better for the youngsters, coffee works better for the older crowd.