The Spatial Allocation of Drivers´ Visual Attention During Driving in Traffic Environment

The limits of spatial attention during driving were examined using a dual-task performance paradigm in present study. Subjects were asked to follow a lead vehicle that varied in speed while also detecting a light change in an array located above the roadway. The results show that reaction time increased and accuracy decreased as a function of the horizontal location of the light change and the distance of the light change. In addition, reaction time error in car following increased immediately following the light change. These results demonstrate that when drivers attend to a centrally located task, their ability to respond to other events varies as a function of horizontal visual angle and distance in the scene.