The Quantification of Bicyclist Conspicuity Using Eye-Tracking Technology

Bicyclists face a high risk of being involved in collisions with motor vehicles when cycling in daytime conditions. Thus, bicyclist conspicuity is an important issue to consider when assessing the safety of bicyclists in daytime conditions. Fluorescent clothing has previously been found to provide safety benefits but has never been examined with regard to conspicuity during the day. The present study investigated the daytime conspicuity benefits of brightly colored clothing using still images of roadway environments and eye tracking technology. Thirteen participants searched for bicyclists wearing either black, blue, or yellow jerseys in 30 images of daytime roadway environments (6 images containing a bicyclist and 24 not containing a bicyclist) while their gaze was tracked via an eye tracker to obtain the time it took each participant to find the bicyclists. Results indicated that participants took significantly less time to find bicyclists presented at near distances than bicyclists presented at far distances, F(1,12) = 5.00, p < 0.05, partial η2 = 0.29. In additions, results from a post-experiment survey revealed that the bicyclists that wore yellow jerseys in the images were rated as being more conspicuous than the bicyclists with blue or black jerseys. While further research on how useful eye trackers are in assessing bicyclist conspicuity is warranted, this study suggests that fluorescent yellow jerseys may enhance bicyclist daytime conspicuity.