2 Driver Attention Modeling Through Evidence Accumulation and Gaze Fixation

Driver behavior often plays a key role in roadway safety. Distracted driving, in particular, has been proven to be one of the major reasons for crashes and near crashes. This study suggests that the criticality of a rear end event depends on the brake reaction time (BRT) of the driver. Therefore, distraction poses a greater threat in such events. Evidence accumulation model, which uses looming of the lead vehicle as main stimuli, has shown significant success in estimating drivers’ BRTs. Also, it is often argued that drivers collect evidence for braking through peripheral vision, especially during off-road glances, and transition to forward. However, there is limited work to develop a comprehensive model that can effectively model how drivers accumulate evidences during gaze away from forward. In this chapter, we have modeled evidence accumulation as a function of gaze eccentricity for off-road glances while approaching safety critical events. The model is tested with real-world crash and near-crash event data from the Second Strategic Highway Research Program 2 naturalistic study. Our model integrates human gaze, scene dynamics, and safety together. Finally, this chapter discusses typical distraction that has caused external distraction.