Affiliations: [a] College of Energy and Transportation Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Mongolia, China | [b] Department of Vehicle Engineering, Baotou Vocational and Technical College, Baotou, Mongolia, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Shoulin Zhu, College of Energy and Transportation Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Mongolia 010018, China. E-mail: zhushoulin@126.com.
Abstract: To determine the proper range of information quantity of traffic signs in the straight line sections of grassland highways, we have established virtual scenes of such sections of highways with varying levels of information quantity, and we have carried out an experiment on simulated driving. During the research, the method of principal component analysis (PCA) is adopted, and indicators related to eye movements are selected, which prove to be sensitive to the information quantity of traffic signs. Moreover, the pattern of variations is analyzed to examine how the information quantity of traffic signs may impose an impact on drivers’ visual load, and the experimental results are assessed and verified in a subjective manner. The research findings indicate that the information quantity of traffic signs could impose a significant impact on the fixation duration, saccade duration, saccade amplitude and fixation entropy of drivers. Within the proper range of information quantity (20–30 bits/km), drivers have shown stronger ability to acquire and process information with higher searching efficiency and optimal strategy of allocating attention, which will facilitate safe driving. The subjective assessment of drivers’ workload has also proven the validity of the research findings.
