Gaze-Based Indicators of Driver Cognitive Distraction: Effects of Different Traffic Conditions and Adaptive Cruise Control Use
URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10624v1
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Abstract
In this simulator study, we investigate how gaze parameters reflect driver cognitive distraction under varying traffic conditions and adaptive cruise control (ACC) use. Participants completed six driving scenarios that combined two levels of cognitive distraction (with/without mental calculations) and three levels of driving environment complexity. Throughout the experiment, participants were free to activate or deactivate an ACC. We analyzed two gaze-based indicators of driver cognitive distraction: the percent road center, and the gaze dispersions (horizontal and vertical). Our results show that vertical gaze dispersion increases with traffic complexity, while ACC use leads to gaze concentration toward the road center. Cognitive distraction reduces road center gaze and increases vertical dispersion. Complementary analyses revealed that these observations actually arise mainly between mental calculations, while periods of mental calculations are characterized by a temporary increase in gaze concentration.
Summary
Driving simulator study analysing gaze-based indicators of cognitive distraction (percent road centre, horizontal and vertical gaze dispersion) under varying traffic complexity and adaptive cruise control (ACC) availability. Six scenarios crossed two distraction levels (with/without mental calculation task) and three traffic-complexity levels; participants could freely activate or deactivate ACC. Complementary within-trial analyses separated 'between mental calculations' periods from 'during mental calculations' periods.
Key finding
Cognitive distraction reduces percent road centre and increases vertical gaze dispersion overall, but the effect arises mainly between mental-calculation episodes; during the calculations themselves gaze instead concentrates temporarily, complicating real-time gaze-based distraction detection.
Methodology
Driving simulator with six scenarios crossing 2 (cognitive distraction) × 3 (traffic complexity) factors. Participants free to toggle ACC on/off. Gaze tracking yielded percent road centre and horizontal/vertical gaze dispersion. Trials further partitioned into 'between' versus 'during' mental-calculation periods for finer-grained analysis.
Sample size: Simulator study; specific N not extracted from sections reviewed
Quality score: 5 / 5