Illusion of car going backwards - a common disease of drivers
When the car stops for a long time, the driver is paying attention to something else, when he looks up he sees his car is reversing and panics.
Hoang Minh was sweating and called his brother to ask if there was any problem with the C-size sedan. Why did it feel like it was moving backwards for about 5-6 seconds after putting it in P and pulling the handbrake? After the explanation, Minh realized it was just an illusion.
Minh has only had his driver's license for a year, and doesn't drive much because he doesn't own one yet. He usually borrows his brother's car on weekends. His situation is quite common in the community. Many drivers say that even though they step on the brake with all their might, pull the handbrake, and put the gearshift in P, they still see the car going backwards. The common reaction of drivers is to be startled, even sweating and panicking.
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Cars stopped at red lights and traffic jams can easily cause the feeling of going backwards. |
Experienced drivers as well as driving experts from companies say that this phenomenon is easily explained by the brain's perception of movement. Accordingly, movement has direction, causing relativity, resonance or cancellation. When you stand still for a long time, another car moving forward will create the illusion that you are going backwards.
This situation is likely to happen to new drivers who are not used to the narrow space in the car or even to experienced drivers when the body is tired or too focused on something. For example, when stopping for a long time at a red light, on the side of the road, driving reading a book, or using the phone, when looking up, the brain is not yet familiar with the surrounding scene, causing the feeling of the car rolling backwards.
The relativity of motion is also shown in the case of two cars running at the same time. If cars are running in the same direction, when passing each other, you will see the car next to you running very slowly. Conversely, if two cars are running in opposite directions, when passing each other, the driver will see both of them running very fast. Because when going in the same direction, the speed cancels out, when going in opposite directions, the speed resonates.
It is not difficult to get rid of the feeling of the car going backwards. According to experts, after a period of driving, when getting used to the narrow space, the driver will be less likely to hallucinate. In addition, do not focus too much on your phone or books when stopping or parking. If your eyes are focused on the road ahead even when stopping, hallucinations will be less likely to occur.
More importantly, when focused, the driver will be ready to react to situations that occur on the road, driving is safer.
