Effects of Prolonged Monotonous Driving on Lane Change Performance, Visual Attention, and Highway Control

Sahar, Tayyaba; Dirix, Hélène; Badruddin, Nasreen; Ross, Veerle; Vanroelen, Giovanni; Wets, Geert; Brijs, Kris · 2026 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3390/app16136580

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Summary

This study investigates the impact of prolonged monotonous driving on subsequent driving performance, specifically focusing on lane change execution, visual attention, and highway control. While monotonous driving is known to induce hypovigilance and reduced alertness, its specific effects on a driver’s ability to re-engage with structured, attention-demanding tasks remain insufficiently understood. The research addresses this gap by examining how extended exposure to low-stimulation environments influences lateral control stability and visual scanning behavior when task demands subsequently increase. The experimental design utilized a driving simulator with sixteen licensed drivers who completed a structured scenario consisting of a pre-highway lane change task (LCT-1), a 107.3 km monotonous highway segment, and a post-highway lane change task (LCT-2). The highway segment featured a straight, two-lane road with minimal geometric variation and repetitive scenery to induce underload fatigue. Performance was assessed using ISO-standardized Lane Change Task metrics, including Mean Deviation (MDEV), Percentage of Correct Lane Changes (PCL), and Lane Change Initiation (LCI). Concurrently, eye-tracking technology recorded visual attention metrics, such as time to first fixation (TTFF), dwell time, and fixation count, to evaluate visual readiness and scanning behavior. Highway driving performance was analyzed through lateral control measures across the monotonous segment. The findings indicate that prolonged low-demand driving weakened lateral control during the highway segment, supporting the hypothesis that vigilance decline manifests in degraded vehicle stability. Contrary to the expectation that post-monotony performance would deteriorate, visual attention to lane-change signs in the post-highway session became faster and more extensive. Specifically, drivers exhibited quicker orienting and increased visual engagement with task-relevant cues after the monotonous drive. This pattern suggests a compensatory visual reallocation mechanism, where drivers dynamically re-engage attentional resources when transitioning from underload to a visually explicit and behaviorally structured task. The study concludes that subtle changes in control stability and visual attention following monotonous driving may not be captured by vehicle dynamics alone. The results highlight the importance of multimodal assessment for road safety, demonstrating that while lateral control may degrade during monotony, drivers can exhibit enhanced visual readiness in subsequent high-demand situations. This implies that hypovigilance does not necessarily result in a uniform decline in all performance aspects; rather, it may trigger adaptive visual strategies when task demands become explicit. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of driver state transitions and the limitations of relying solely on conventional speed or position metrics for safety evaluation.

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-nvidia on 2026-08-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• vigilance
• time on task
• inattentional change blindness
• eye movements scanning
• useful field of view
• lane positioning

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data, physiological data
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model