What is AutoLifecycle?

AutoLifecycle is a data-driven blog exploring the evolution, economics, and engineering of automobiles from past to future, written by Professor Hisham Ibrahim.

What topics does AutoLifecycle cover?

The blog covers automotive history, engineering innovations, vehicle design principles, transportation psychology, and economic aspects of the automotive industry.

Who writes AutoLifecycle?

AutoLifecycle is written by Professor Hisham Ibrahim, an expert in automotive engineering, vehicle design, and transportation psychology with extensive academic and industry experience.

The Driver’s Mind: Psychology Behind the Wheel

Exploring the invisible forces that shape driving decisions, safety, and automotive design

Scientific illustration showing the intersection of human psychology and automotive technology, featuring five interconnected nodes representing the series topics: illusion of control, color psychology, brain autopilot, invisible passenger, and mind-reading car — The Driver’s Mind: Psychology Behind the Wheel

About This Series

This is a 5-part series published weekly. Part 1 is now available, with new installments every Thursday.

This series explores the hidden psychology of driving, from cognitive illusions to human-machine interfaces, revealing why we drive the way we do.

Part 1: The Illusion of Control (November 6, 2025 - Published)
What cognitive science reveals about the dangerous disconnect between perceived and actual mental workload while driving.

Part 2: The Psychology of Automotive Color (November 13, 2025)
How color psychology drives purchasing decisions and why automotive designers ignore 95% of the population’s color preferences.

Part 3: Your Brain on Autopilot (November 20, 2025)
The hidden dangers of “easy” drives, why memory fails more than vision, and how navigation systems become your biggest stressor.

Part 4: The Invisible Passenger (November 27, 2025)
How car interfaces designed for pilots and astronauts create dangerous usability failures that even airport signs avoid.

Part 5: The Mind-Reading Car (December 4, 2025)
How brain-computer interfaces, emotion recognition, and adaptive automation are revolutionizing our relationship with vehicles.

Series Posts

The Illusion of Control: Why GPS Systems Cause More Stress Than Traffic Jams

Navigation systems cause more anger than traffic jams, and your brain’s workload during ‘easy’ drives is dangerously disconnected from reality. Cognitive science reveals the hidden truth about driver psychology.

Nov 6, 2025