Coupling mechanism of nighttime lighting glare and driver cognitive load based on visual-physiological parameters.

Objective: To clarify the potential risks and causative mechanisms of glare from nighttime road fill lights on driving safety, this study investigates the dual interference of glare-induced visual cognitive load and physiological stress.

Methods: A field driving experiment involving 20 drivers was conducted, with real-time collection of visual data (e.g., pupil variability coefficient, fixation area distribution) via portable eye trackers and synchronized monitoring of heart rate variability (HRV) indicators.

Results: Excessive illuminance or rapid flickering of fill lights significantly increased pupil area variability coefficient (mean ± SD: 1.25 ± 0.43 vs. 0.68 ± 0.21, p < 0.01) and local blind spot probability by 23%. Concurrently, RMSSD (parasympathetic activity) decreased by 18.7%, and LF (sympathovagal balance) dropped by 31.2%, indicating aggravated psychological load and neural imbalance.

Conclusion: Nighttime driving safety model integrating visual-physiological parameters was proposed, enabling dynamic glare risk intervention through threshold monitoring and adaptive lighting strategies. The findings provide scientific foundations for optimizing road lighting design, establishing fill light technical standards, and developing in-vehicle human-machine interaction warning systems.