Drivers’ Attention Strategies before Eyes-off-Road in Different Traffic Scenarios: Adaptation and Anticipation

Zhuofan Liu, Wei Yuan and Yong Ma
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Zhuofan Liu: Modern Postal College, Xi’an University of Posts & Telecommunications, Xi’an 710121, China
Wei Yuan: School of Automobile, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Yong Ma: Key Laboratory for Automotive Transportation Safety Enhancement Technology of the Ministry of Communication, PRC, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: The distribution of drivers’ visual attention prior to diverting focus from the driving task is critical for safety. The object of this study is to investigate drivers’ attention strategy before they occlude their vision for different durations under different driving scenarios. A total of 3 (scenarios) × 3 (durations) within-subjects design was applied. Twenty-three participants completed three durations of occlusion (0, 1, and 2 s) test drive in a motion-based driving simulator under three scenarios (urban, rural, motorway). Drivers’ occlusion behaviour, driving behaviour, and visual behaviour in 6 s before occlusion was analyzed and compared. The results showed that drivers tended to slow down and increased their attention on driving task to keep safety in occlusion 2 s condition. The distribution of attention differed among different driving scenarios and occlusion durations. More attention was directed to Forward position and Speedometer in occlusion conditions, and a strong shift in attention from Forward position to Road users and Speedometer was found in occlusion 2 s condition. Road users was glanced more frequently in urban road with a higher percentage of attention transitions from Forward position to Road users . While gaze switching to Speedometer with a higher intensity was found on motorway. It suggests that drivers could adapt their visual attention to driving demand and anticipate the development of upcoming situations by sampling enough driving-related information before eyes-off-road. Moreover, the adaptation and anticipation are in accordance with driving situation and expected eyes-off-road duration. Better knowledge about attentional strategies before attention away from road contributes to more efficient and safe interaction with additional tasks.

Keywords: visual attention; attention distribution; visual occlusion; adaptation; anticipation; driving simulator (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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