Seeing the road, shaping the path: drivers' gaze strategies and lateral control on curves

Abstract

Drivers adopt different gaze strategies to manage steering through curves. However, most research has examined only some of these strategies separately, rather than analysing how drivers select among them and how these choices affect vehicle control. This study explores how road- and driver-related factors influence gaze strategy choices during horizontal curve negotiation in a simulator, and how the chosen strategy relates to lateral control performance. Thirty licensed drivers operated a fixed-base simulator on two-lane rural roads under daytime, clear weather conditions. A factorial design included variables such as curve radius, curve direction, sight obstruction, and the presence or absence of road markings and post-mounted delineators. Eye movements were recorded, and for each curve, gaze behaviour was classified into one of four strategies: tangent point (TP), future path (FP), fixed point (FXP), and external (EX). A panel-data mixed logit model assessed how infrastructure and driver attributes influenced the likelihood of each strategy. Subsequently, linear mixed-effects models examined how gaze strategy and road-related factors affected the mean lateral position, its standard deviation, and mean speed. FP was the most prevalent strategy, while curve geometry, markings, delineators, and driver experience influenced the relative utilisation of TP, FXP, and EX. TP and FP correlated with smaller mean lateral positions and less variability, whereas FXP, especially in the presence of delineators, produced larger deviations on left-hand curves and the greatest variability. EX was more common among experienced drivers and maintained lateral stability similar to TP and FP. Gaze strategy did not significantly influence mean speed.