Gender Differences in Drivers' Eye Movement Characteristics at High-Density Interchanges

In order to analyze the differences in eye movement characteristics of drivers of different genders in a high-density interchange environment, a real vehicle driving test is conducted on the Donghuan-Zhangjialiang high-density interchange section in Chongqing, involving 38 subjects with one invalid data. Eye movement indicators such as fixation point position, duration, frequency, saccade amplitude, speed, and frequency are collected. Based on the trajectory characteristics of interchange driving, the driving process is divided into four conditions, including entering the main line, exiting the main line, main line driving, and auxiliary road driving. The visual drivers area of interest on the high-density interchange of expressway are divided into seven regions using the k-medoids dynamic clustering method, and a fixation transition model is constructed via the Markov chain to comparatively analyze the eye movement characteristics and fixation transition rules of drivers of different genders. The results indicate that the average value of the driver's fixation time is mainly distributed in 100~200 ms, of which the maximum value of fixation time is 299.1 ms and the minimum value is 68.0 ms. There are differences between male and female drivers in terms of fixation frequency, single fixation time, saccade amplitude and saccade frequency, the maximum fixation frequency for males is higher than that for females, reaching 2.6 n/s, while the minimum for females is lower than that for males, being 0.15 n/s. The maximum saccade frequency for females is higher than that for males, reaching 7.9 n/s, while the minimum for males is lower than that for females, being 0.8 n/s. Male drivers exhibit a lower frequency of fixation, longer duration of single fixation, and higher amplitude and speed of saccade, while the situation is converse for female drivers. Gender differences are also manifested in the behavior of fixation shift: in regular clearance interchanges, male drivers tend to focus more on the distant area of the current lane and the right rearview mirror, whereas female drivers pay greater attention to the nearby area of the current lane and the left rearview mirror. In small clearance interchanges, male drivers show higher concern for the distant area of the current lane and the left rearview mirror, while female drivers focus more on the front of the current lane and the front of the left and right lanes. In simple driving scenarios such as mainline/auxiliary roads, female drivers conduct more meticulous observations of the road environment, while male drivers are more preoccupied with information related to vehicle speed control and route planning.