Leandro L. Di Stasi^1,2 (), Francesco Angioi², Juan de Oña³, Rocío de Oña³, Carolina Diaz-Piedra¹; ¹Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, Spain, ²Joint Center University of Granada - Spanish Army Training and Doctrine Command, Spain, ³TRYSE Research Group, University of Granada, Spain

Background: Nighttime driving conditions can make it more challenging for drivers to accurately predict the upcoming road geometry and effectively control their vehicles, especially on curves. While standard retroreflective road markings have limited success in enhancing overall roadway visibility, new photoluminescent (or glow-in-the-dark) road markings (PRMs) might overcome these limitations. However, despite PRMs already being tested on conventional roads, no studies have investigated their influence on driver visual exploration strategies. Here, we examined how different PRM colors (white (unlit) vs. green vs. red), widths (conventional vs. wide), and curve directions (left vs. right) affect stationary gaze entropy during virtual driving sessions. Methods: Thirty adult drivers (mean age ± SD = 25.90 ± 6.73 years; 16 women) drove a semi-dynamic driving simulator for, approximately, one hour Participants underwent six different virtual scenarios (the order was balanced across participants). We recorded stationary gaze entropy using a 4-camera remote eye-tracker (120Hz). Additionally, we collected driving performance data and subjective ratings of complexity. Results: Stationary gaze entropy was influenced by both the PRM color and the curve direction, but not by the width of the marking. Interaction effects were not significant. Drivers exhibited lower gaze entropy on right-hand curves, indicating less exploration or scanning behavior compared to left-hand ones. Post hoc comparisons showed that green PRMs led to more stereotyped (i.e., less random) visual exploration compared to the unlit markings. Red PRMs did not have such effect. These gaze entropy results were corroborated by performance data. Perceived complexity was similar across the scenarios, however. Conclusions: Our results, consistent with the concept of self-explaining roads, confirm the benefits of introducing PRMs as a complementary passive measure to prevent roadway departure events. Furthermore, PRMs appear to be a potentially valuable visual guidance technology for enhancing road safety in low-visibility conditions by increasing driver situational awareness.

Acknowledgements: This work is part of the Research Project SARAH (PID2022-141935OB-I00; MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 & ERDF/UE). FA is supported by a Spanish national pre-doctoral FPI research fellowship (PREP2022-000307; MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 & ESF Investing in your future).