What attracts attention during police pursuit driving

Little is known of the visual skills required for tasks needing efficient deployment of attention (such a driving). This article reports on a study that recorded the eye movements of police drivers and two control groups (novices and age- and experience-matched controls) while watching a series of video clips of driving. The clips included pursuits, emergency response drives, and control drives (at normal speeds) around Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. The authors stress that chasing a lead vehicle is an extremely demanding and dangerous task. Results of the analysis of gaze durations within certain categories of stimuli showed that daytime pursuit drives correspond with an increase in gaze durations on a lead car. Police drivers also direct their attention to other potential hazards, such as pedestrians, more so than other drivers.

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