On the relationship between occlusion times and in-car glance durations in simulated driving

Drivers have spare visual capacity in driving, and often this capacity is used for engaging in secondary in-car tasks. Previous research has suggested that the spare visual capacity could be estimated with the occlusion method. However, the relationship between drivers’ occlusion times and in-car glance duration preferences has not been sufficiently investigated for granting occlusion times the role of an estimate of spare visual capacity. We conducted a driving simulator experiment (N = 30) and investigated if there is an association between drivers’ occlusion times and in-car glance durations in a given driving scenario. Furthermore, we explored which factors and variables could explain the strength of the association. The findings suggest an association between occlusion time preferences and in-car glance durations in visually and cognitively low demanding unstructured tasks but that this association is lost if the in-car task is more demanding. The findings might be explained by the inability to utilize peripheral vision for lane-keeping when conducting in-car tasks and/or by in-car task structures that override drivers’ preferences for the in-car glance durations. It seems that the occlusion technique could be utilized as an estimate of drivers’ spare visual capacity in research – but with caution. It is strongly recommended to use occlusion times in combination with driving performance metrics. There is less spare visual capacity if this capacity is used for secondary tasks that interfere with the driver's ability to utilize peripheral vision for driving or preferences for the in-car glance durations. However, we suggest that the occlusion method can be a valid method to control for inter-individual differences in in-car glance duration preferences when investigating the visual distraction potential of, for instance, in-vehicle infotainment systems.