Experimentation of an innovative device for pedestrian safety: an eye tracking study in real traffic conditions

Abstract

In a context where the number of cars is constantly increasing, pedestrian safety appears more necessary than ever. In certain high-risk urban areas, pedestrian safety depends on the driver's ability to see the pedestrian and the crosswalk (Lantieri, 2021). To improve pedestrian detection by the driver, Colas (a French civil engineering company) has developed an innovative technology for crosswalks. This solution is called Flowell and consists of colored light strips on the ground, which indicate when the pedestrian should cross. The objective of this study is to test if the Flowell technology improves driver’s visual strategies in crosswalk areas. In order to study these visual strategies in conditions as close as possible to those encountered by drivers, a natural study in real traffic conditions was chosen. Twenty-eight participants were recruited and were asked to drive for 30 minutes in urban areas close to Paris in a crosswalk area where the Flowell technology was installed. Participants were divided in two groups: 1) day driving and 2) night driving. Each group did a driving session before (T0) and after (T1) the installation of the Flowell system. Objective and subjective data were collected in order to assess drivers’ perception, understanding and usefulness of the Flowell system. Perception was measured in terms of the time taken to detect the crosswalk (seconds), the number of fixations in the various zones and the duration of fixations for each crossing (seconds) using Tobii's eye-tracker : glasses pro 3. Visibility and glare levels were also collected via interviews at the end of the survey. The level of understanding of the device was collected from participants' interviews and completed by eye tracking data such as eye path and patterns. Finally levels of usefulness and perceived effectiveness were documented by verbal data.The results showed that there is a main effect of day/night driving on the overall number of fixations (F(1,12) = 12.8, p=0.004, n²=0.308). It was higher during the day at T0 (M = 2.17, SD = 0,37) than at night (M = 1.21, SD = 0,25). The duration of fixation on the zones of interest is greater at T1 (48%) than at T0 (22%). In other words, night-time drivers spend more time looking at crosswalk zones when the device is switched on. Analysis of the participants' verbal data showed that 60% understood how the system worked at night, compared with only 30% during the day. On average, the level of system efficiency was 4.60 (SD = 0.55) for night-time participants, compared with 3.47 (SD = 1.46) for daytime participants.To conclude, at night, the Flowell device is really well perceived and understood. Its perceived usefulness is therefore high, and it is relevant to pedestrian safety on this site. During the day, however, a lower level of perception and understanding leads to a reduction in its usefulness.

Keywords: Eye-tracking, driving, pedestrian crosswalk, natural study

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005426