Race car drivers tend to blink at the same places in each lap

The drivers saved their blinks for lower-risk parts of courses

A photo of several Formula cars driving on a curvy race track with stands full of people in the distance.

Race car drivers compete in the 2022 F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course. During critical parts of such races, drivers unconsciously keep themselves from blinking, researchers say.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

The world goes dark for about one-fifth of a second every time you blink, a fraction of an instant that’s hardly noticeable to most people.