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The mindful driver: A systematic review of mindfulness and safe driving behavior

Marcia Howell, Petra Wagman, Viveca Larsson, Nerrolyn Ramstrand

Transportation Research Part F Traffic Psychology and Behaviour September 25, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2026.103823 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Systematic review Randomized Cross-sectional Peer reviewed
Topics Meditation
Key findings Across 37 studies, higher mindfulness was generally associated with safer driving outcomes, particularly fewer attentional lapses, lower distracted driving, and fewer self-reported violations, though findings varied by design, measurement, and outcome. Intervention studies generally improved driving performance, while increases in self-reported mindfulness were less consistent. The authors propose attentional control, emotion regulation, and reduced mind-wandering as candidate mechanisms.

Abstract

Mindfulness, characterized by present-moment awareness and nonreactive attentional control, has increasingly been examined as a psychological factor associated with safer driving behavior. This is important because motor vehicle crashes remain a significant public health and transportation safety concern, with distracted and aggressive driving linked to attentional lapses, mind-wandering, and failures of emotional regulation. This PRISMA-compliant systematic review synthesizes evidence on the relationship between mindfulness, mind-wandering, and driving behavior. A comprehensive database search identified 37 eligible studies published between 2011 and 2024, including cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, and randomized controlled trial designs. Across studies, higher levels of mindfulness were generally associated with safer driving outcomes, particularly fewer attentional lapses, lower distracted driving, and fewer self-reported violations, although findings varied by study design, measurement approach, and driving outcome. Intervention studies generally demonstrated improvements in driving performance, although increases in self-reported mindfulness were less consistently observed. Findings are consistent with attentional control, emotion regulation, and reduced mind-wandering as candidate psychological mechanisms through which mindfulness may be associated with safer driving behavior. Methodological limitations, including heavy reliance on trait mindfulness measures and self-reported driving outcomes, are discussed. Future research should prioritize state-based and driving-specific mindfulness measures alongside objective assessments to advance theory and experimental research in traffic psychology.

Comparable studies

Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations 2014 Meta-analysis n = 3,515
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects 2009 Systematic review and meta-analysis
The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators 2012 Meta-analysis n = 163
Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission 2016 Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials n = 1,258
Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials 2011 Systematic review

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