Risk Perception and Gaze Behavior during Urban Cycling – A Field Study

Abstract

We investigated the relation of risk perception and gaze behavior during urban cycling in a naturalistic real world setting. Participants rode a bike on five route segments while wearing a mobile eye tracking device, and subsequently marked, described, and rated all areas they thought to be dangerous. Their gaze was focused on the areas they marked as potentially dangerous. The participants’ gaze was also more focused on areas they felt to be subjectively dangerous (but where no accidents had previously occurred) as compared to areas where accidents had occurred (but that also were subjectively dangerous).