Emotional state plays important part in driving

Someday perhaps we'll all be whisked to work by self-driving cars immune to human problems.

Until then, we have to do our best to arrive safely despite the failings of the weakest link in the chain -- the human driver.

The Nebraska State Patrol is again conducting its "100 Days of Summer" initiative, with extra enforcement each day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the most dangerous months of the year.

There's no reason to worry about getting a ticket if you obey traffic laws such as obeying the posted speed limit, using extra caution in work zones and avoiding driving while impaired or distracted.

Plus, you can find out where "NSP Enforcement Activities" are taking place by clicking that link on the patrol's homepage, www.statepatrol.nebraska. gov

We all know it's important not to drive impaired or distracted, but new evidence is showing just how dangerous the later is.

For one, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that a train's engineer was distracted by radio traffic, about a second train being struck by a rock, before he allowed his train to reach 106 mph in a 50-mph zone north of Philadelphia a year ago, causing a major crash.

Elsewhere, a study by the University of Houston and Texas A&M indicates that while texting while driving is always risky, it's worse when the driver is upset or mentally distracted.

Researchers found that drivers have a "sixth sense" that helps offset distractions most of the time, but when they're distracted or mentally challenged while texting, the eye-hand coordination loop is broken and their handling of the steering wheel becomes erratic.

Study leader Ioannis Pavlidis said part of the brain automatically intervenes when there is a conflict such as physiological stress, counteracting "jittery" handling of the steering wheel resulting from "flight or fight" energy transmitted to the arms.

Texting breaks the brain's ability to intervene in that jittery driving, causing drivers to veer off course.

Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy the good weather, go on vacation and visit family and friends.

But it won't be such a great time if we are involved in an accident. We should always remember to buckle up, avoid driving after drinking and leave the cell phone alone.

To that list, we should add avoiding driving when we're upset.