Influence of looking at hazard lights on car-driving performance

The purpose of the present study was to determine what effect (if any) looking at an automobile's hazard lights has on the direction in which a car is driven. Eight Japanese drivers participated in this experiment. Analysis indicated that (a) at night drivers passed closer to a forward-facing stationary car than during the day and (b) when instructions were given to look at the hazard lights of a forward-facing stationary car, drivers passed closer than when no such instructions were given or when the hazard lights were off. The relationship between looking at the visible targets in a visually poor environment and the direction in which a car is driven was discussed.