Ocular Movement during Curbside Turns at Intersections

Abstract

We conducted a driving experiment and measured and analyzed the data on eye movement in order to understand ocular movement during curbside turns at intersections. We used a driving simulator equipped with a system capable of measuring the direction of a subject's glances relative to the heading of their vehicle. By analyzing this data, measured at three intersections, we identified three tasks commonly observed in curbside turns: 1) object inspection; 2) turning; and 3) aligning. During the first task, the measurements showed variable swinging patterns. There was a consistent pattern of looking at targets along the curb in the second task, presumably for guidance while turning the vehicle. During the third task, measurements showed a coherent pattern of returning the glance from turning to the subsequent driving maneuvers.