Where do older pedestrians glance before deciding to cross a simulated two-lane road? A pedestrian simulator paradigm

Abstract

Knowing where to older pedestrians allocate their glances before deciding to cross the road can contribute to understanding the causes that lead them to make bad road crossing decisions. Research on older drivers suggest that they are over involved in crashes that involve navigation through intersections mainly because they focused on their travel path and rarely on other areas in the scene from where a hazard might appear. Yet, it is less known how older pedestrians spread their attention on their expected travel path. Eleven older participants (over 65) and ten younger adults were asked to make a road crossing decision in a simulated environment, while wearing an eye-tracker. Results exemplify significant differences between the younger and older adults; the older adults, in comparison to the younger, spent more time focusing on the central area of the scene and even less so in the last five seconds before making the crossing decision. These findings are consistent with older drivers’ behavior at intersections, suggesting that older pedestrians might be overly focused on their travel path.