Lane-changing-decision characteristics and the allocation of visual attention of drivers with an angry driving style

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the interactions between the road situational risk and angry driving style on lane-changing decisions in drivers and the allocation of visual attention of angry-driving-style drivers based on video clips of driving. We employed the Tobii eye tracker to collect the eye movement markers and reaction time data of 35 drivers. First, the road type and distances of neighboring cars were used to classify situations in the video clips into high- and low-risk situations. The revised Chinese version of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI-C) was used to measure the driving style of drivers. The eye movement heatmap of drivers was used to classify the areas of interest into the front view and side mirror. We found that the angry driving style and the total fixation duration on the front view of drivers in high-risk situations were predictors of the relative lane-changing decision time. Angry-driving-style drivers’ relative lane-changing decision time is shorter than that of other drivers. In high-risk driving situations, the longer the total fixation duration on the front view, the shorter the relative lane-changing decision time. We also found that the angry driving style and eye movement areas of interest interacted with the mean search durations and total fixation durations of the drivers. Angry-driving-style drivers were more focused on the front view. Our study has significance for the improvement of the improvement of the allocation of visual attention of angry-driving-style drivers and the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs).