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I would argue the opposite. Audiobooks/podcasts keep me alert in dull driving situations. And whenever a situation arises that demands my full attention, I (sub

I would argue the opposite. Audiobooks/podcasts keep me alert in dull driving situations. And whenever a situation arises that demands my full attention, I (subconsciously) stop paying attention to the audio for ~30s until the situation is fully resolved. I would say it net-increases safety at least on long-distance/commute.

jacquesm 7y ago
You can tell yourself that but your time to switch away from having your attention on your audiobooks/podcasts (the latter probably less so, they are much more like radio) is going to be longer than if you weren't concentrating on them. Immersive experiences tend to make us see stuff in our heads that isn't really there depending on how good the writer/narrator is at calling on our imagination. So unless the audiobook is really bad it is going to require some non-zero fraction of your attention and imagination engaged and that's about as close to daydreaming as you can get. Not the best state to be in while driving.