[ES-1-3] Relationship between hierarchical visual attention and driving performance in elderly drivers during a course driving.
Introduction Although the importance of visual attention in driving is widely acknowledged, its hierarchical features have not been adequately discussed. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the capability of hierarchical visual attention and driving performance in elderly drivers. Methods Fifteen elderly (76.1 ± 4.6 years) who visited a driving school for renewing their driving licenses participated in this study. We divided the drivers’ hierarchical visual attention into four levels as follows; 1) Hand-eye coordination (e.g., staring at gear to shift to drive mode), 2) Risk management (e.g., checking a traffic sign), 3) Extension of peripersonal space (e.g., perceiving the car as a part of his own body), 4) Prediction (e.g., visual scanning for safe and effective driving). Participants wore a Tobii Pro
Glasses Eye Tracker and performed the course driving. The frequency of hierarchical visual attention
events derived from eye-tracking data was calculated. In addition, the driving performance was assessed by a professional driving examiner using a performance evaluation sheet. The score ranges from 1 to 4 for 19 items with the maximum score of 76 indicating a high performance level. Association between two parameters was examined with Spearman’s rank correlation. The statistical software SPSS ver. 27.0 was used for the analysis, and a value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. This study was approved by the University Ethical Review Board, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results The appearance frequency of the hierarchical visual attention was 17.9 ± 3.6, and the mean value of the driving performance was 49.6 ± 10.9 points. The frequency was positively correlated with the driving performance level (rs= 0.62). Discussion We found that the appearance frequency of hierarchical visual attention while driving was positively associated with driving performance, suggesting that hierarchical visual attention plays an important role in driving performance. These results may improve our understanding of visual attention for safe driving behavior in the elderly
Glasses Eye Tracker and performed the course driving. The frequency of hierarchical visual attention
events derived from eye-tracking data was calculated. In addition, the driving performance was assessed by a professional driving examiner using a performance evaluation sheet. The score ranges from 1 to 4 for 19 items with the maximum score of 76 indicating a high performance level. Association between two parameters was examined with Spearman’s rank correlation. The statistical software SPSS ver. 27.0 was used for the analysis, and a value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. This study was approved by the University Ethical Review Board, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results The appearance frequency of the hierarchical visual attention was 17.9 ± 3.6, and the mean value of the driving performance was 49.6 ± 10.9 points. The frequency was positively correlated with the driving performance level (rs= 0.62). Discussion We found that the appearance frequency of hierarchical visual attention while driving was positively associated with driving performance, suggesting that hierarchical visual attention plays an important role in driving performance. These results may improve our understanding of visual attention for safe driving behavior in the elderly