Do Additional Auditory Instructions in Smartphone Navigation Con-Tribute to the Road Safety of Cyclists? A Field Study Evaluating the Gaze Behavior of Cyclists

In this paper, we present an eye tracking study evaluating the effects of visual versus visual and auditory navigation instructions on the gaze behavior of cyclists. One group received purely visual navigation instructions via a smartphone on the handlebars to complete the route, while the other group additionally received auditory navigation instructions via headphones. We found that the distribution of attention depends strongly on the traffic situation. Comparing the attention distribution of the two groups over the five situations evaluated, we see that the purely visual group paid 31% less attention to the surroundings. In the complex situation, it turned out that purely visual navigation is preferable, since fewer glances are directed at the smartphone and thus greater attention can be paid to the surroundings. On the other hand, additional auditory instructions in less complex situations enable the cyclists to focus more on the surroundings.