Evaluation of Driver Visual Behavior and Road Signs in Virtual Environment

Abstract

Human errors are blamed for nearly 90 percent of traffic accidents; however, the human driver is only one of the three principal components (driver, vehicle and road/environment) in driving. Why are so many errors attributed to drivers? Are drivers inherently error prone? Based on these questions, twelve drivers' visual behavior and mental stress were investigated through simulated driving in a virtual environment. A Tobii eye tracker was used to record drivers' eye gaze activities and a FlexComp biofeedback system was used to record physiological parameters related to mental stress change. The preliminary experiment results found that improperly placed traffic signs have a significant effect on drivers' visual behavior and mental stress. Drivers tend to simply ignore the signs with poor visibility or poor readability in simulated driving. Compared with properly placed signs, improperly placed signs are less effective and cause more stress to the drivers. The decreased attention and insufficient response to critical traffic facilities indicates necessity of correction in highway design and management. The current experiment methods and research results are useful for highway safety evaluation.