DRIVER EYE FIXATIONS AND THE OPTIMAL LOCATIONS FOR AUTOMOBILE BRAKE LIGHTS

This study evaluated the distributions of driver eye fixations when following other vehicles. The aim was to describe the areas of the forward field of view that are most frequently fixated. Such information is important for selecting optimal locations for automobile brake lights: The brake lights that are closer to eye fixations are likely to result in shorter driver reaction times than brake lights farther away from the fixations. A head-mounted, corneal-reflection device was used to monitor eye fixations. The data were collected during daylight hours in slow-speed urban traffic. A total of 5,172 eye fixations were analyzed for three different lead cars. Furthermore, the frequency of the eye fixations was low in the neighborhood of the standard low-mounted brake lights. The results provide a possible behavioral explanation for the accident reductions obtained with high-mounted brake lights in previous field studies. Furthermore, high-mounted brake lights located at the edges of the vehicle might be even closer to eye fixations than a center high-mounted brake light.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

  2901 Baxter Road
  Ann Arbor, MI  United States  48109-2150

  Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Association

  320 New Center Building
  Detroit, MI  United States  48202
• Authors:
  • Sivak, M
  • Conn, L S
  • Olson, P L
• Publication Date: 1984-11

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 54 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Brake lamps; Drivers; Eye fixations; Field of vision; Reaction time; Rear lighting; Vehicle rear end; Vehicle windows; Vision
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction; Field of view; Rear windows
• Old TRIS Terms: Braking lights; Driver vision; High mounting; Rear signals
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00395959
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTRI-84-29 Final Rpt., HS-038 163
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 31 1985 12:00AM