Modulating driver visual behavior in highway tunnel groups through rhythm-based visual cues.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Traffic Safety Engineering
• Environmental Psychology

Background:

• Highway tunnel driving presents repetitive visual environments that increase driver cognitive load and risk.
• Optimizing visual cues is crucial for maintaining driver attention and safety in tunnels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of rhythm-based visual cues in enhancing driver perceptual orientation and visual behavior within tunnel groups.
• To identify optimal rhythm patterns for visual guidance in simulated tunnel environments.

Main Methods:

• A fuzzy evaluation method selected rhythm patterns, followed by a simulated driving experiment using UC-win/Road.
• Driver eye-movement metrics (fixation duration, saccade amplitude/velocity) were analyzed to gauge visual load and attention.

Main Results:

• Tunnel driving induced visual fatigue, characterized by longer fixations and altered saccade patterns.
• Rhythm-based visual cues significantly improved visual behavior, reducing fixation durations and enhancing saccade dynamics.
• Improvements were more pronounced in low-light conditions, suggesting enhanced adaptability.

Conclusions:

• Rhythm-based visual cues offer an effective, energy-efficient method to improve driver safety in tunnels.
• These findings support perceptually informed environmental design using rhythm sensitivity for highway safety.