Measurement of Visual Attention and Useful Field of View during Driving Tasks Using a Driving Simulator

The main aim of this work was to obtain a better understanding of drivers’ perceptions of hazard information in selected traffic situations. To contribute to this aim, the relationship between visual attention and the range of the useful field of view was considered by measuring eye movements during simulated driving. Histories (scan paths) of the eye movements were drawn from eye position data obtained by an eye tracking system, superimposed on driving road scenes viewed from the front side seat in an automobile. This procedure enabled one to evaluate the relationship between visual attention and eye movement, such as saccades and fixations, of the driver under various traffic events and road conditions. Results showed that visual stimuli in the peripheral vision affected eye movements during driving. In situations where there are few objects to be attended to (e.g., driving on a straight road), eye movement frequencies were smaller, and fixation durations were longer, than in situations where there are many objects (e.g., driving through an intersection). Based on these results, it is estimated in this paper, the range of the useful field of view during driving. The method proposed in this paper would be useful for simulating safe driving practices and analyzing human factors for drivers’ awareness.