The Effect of Stress on Driver Information Seeking

This paper reviews research done by the Systems Research Group at The Ohio State University on the information-seeking behavior of automobile drivers. The effect of sleep deprivation, long-term driving, and low levels of alcohol intoxication on driver eye-movement patterns is discussed.

The adaptive behavior which results from loss of peripheral information processing capability under stress is manifested through wider dispersion and less preview by the tired drivers and tunnel vision by the intoxicated drivers. The loss of this information can be expected to result in unsafe performance.