Comparative study on drivers' eye movement characteristics and psycho-physiological reactions at tunnel entrances in plain and high-altitude areas: A pilot study

The safety of drivers when driving through road tunnel entrances is a major concern for researchers. Most studies on this topic have mainly focused on tunnels in plain areas. However, there are many road tunnels in high altitude areas where environmental and tunnel design parameters, which may influence driver behavior, change with elevation. Therefore, it is necessary to explore drivers' eye movement characteristics and psycho physiological reactions at tunnel entrances in plain and high-altitude areas respectively. In this study, a series of driving experiments were conducted at two typical road tunnel entrances in plain and high-altitude areas through eye movement measurements, physiological tests, and a questionnaire to explore the drivers' eye movement characteristics and psycho-physiological reactions. The results show that the pupil size of drivers is mainly related to the ambient illuminance, and the change in illuminance at tunnel entrances in high-altitude areas is greater due to fewer lights, resulting in a greater change of rate in pupil diameter. Drivers pay more attention to their surroundings in high-altitude areas due to the complex driving environment outside the tunnel; inside the tunnel, drivers focus on the central sight area where the opposite vehicle may appear in high-altitude areas and are more attentive to the road ahead because of greater traffic volume in plain areas. Lower oxygen content and a sharper decrease in illumination can hinder the information-processing ability of drivers; therefore, the fixation duration inside the tunnel is greater in high-altitude areas. Drivers believe that driving through tunnel entrances in high-altitude areas is more dangerous, which prompts them to adapt their driving behavior such as lowering the vehicle speed, paying more attention, and increasing the following distance.

Automated summary

The safety of drivers when driving through road tunnel entrances is a concern for researchers. This study explored the eye movement characteristics and psycho-physiological reactions of drivers at tunnel entrances in plain and high-altitude areas. The results showed that the pupil size of drivers is mainly related to ambient illuminance, and the change in illuminance at high-altitude tunnel entrances is greater. Drivers in high-altitude areas pay more attention to their surroundings and inside the tunnel focus on the central sight area. Lower oxygen content and decreased illumination hinder the information-processing ability of drivers.