Visual exploration of pedestrian crossings by adults and children: Comparison of strategies

In pedestrian crossing situations, children are less able to make safe crossing decisions compared to adults. The aim of the present study was to analyze and compare the ocular behaviour of children and adults in the pedestrian crossing situations using the eye tracking. The study involved 22 children ranging in age from 5 years to 6 years 2 months and 22 adults. Children and adults participated in a brief eye tracking session designed to explore field of view in road crossing scenarios. They were presented with four pictures of pedestrian crossing and instructed to observe the pictures as if they were on the sidewalk getting ready to cross the road. The eye movements of the subjects looking at the pictures on the screen were collected through the eye tracker. The results showed that adults used a far more intense exploration of the useful visual field of view. They looked at all the different areas of the field of view more frequently and for a longer time. Another interesting point is that the children gazed at areas and elements that are irrelevant to a safe crossing but prove salient for various reasons. Implications for road safety training are discussed.