Pedestrian safety at roundabouts: Their crossing and glance behavior in the interaction with vehicular traffic

Smartphones are nowadays indispensable devices in daily life. Their rapid technological development makes it possible to have almost all necessary information on them, which facilitates their spread among all users. However, this extensive use has led to many distraction problems while performing other main tasks, such as activities on the road, which can also impact people's safety. Therefore, various experts focused their attention on issues related to drivers looking at their mobile phones; recently, researchers from different disciplines saw the need to deepen knowledge also on the phenomenon of vulnerable road users distracted by digital devices, especially when approaching signalized intersections. This study builds on and seeks to extend this area of research by analyzing the effects of digital distraction on pedestrians as they approach unsignalised intersections located on roundabout entrances and exits. The aim of the research is to understand the extent to which the task of checking social media affects pedestrian reaction and crossing times, as well as to identify which elements attract the most pedestrian attention. To achieve this goal, an eye-tracking study was designed, in which participants wearing eye-tracking glasses were asked to walk a predefined route, once checking their social media apps and once walking without distracting technological elements. The results showed an 84% increase in reaction time when using the phone, while only a slight rise in crossing time was found. The general conclusions about the most observed elements when walking are also consistent with the main findings of previous literature studies.