Driver Behavior as Affected by Oncoming Vehicles and Obstructions

This study investigates the driver/vehicle responses as affected by oncoming vehicles and obstructions. The results showed that in most cases neither the novice drivers nor the experienced ones fixated the oncoming vehicles, but that the drivers anticipated the roadway ahead at great distances, and monitored the oncoming vehicles with peripheral vision.

There were no significant differences in the vehicle lateral displacement for the avoidance behavior between the novice and experienced drivers. However, the fixation time for the obstructions was shorter and the completion time of fixations was earlier for the novice drivers as compared to those for the experienced drivers. The strategies of visual search for the novice drivers were critically concerned with the vehicle's direction of travel.