Visual Behaviors and Expertise in Race Driving Situation

Abstract

It is generally considered that experts are typically more accurate and quicker in their responses and generally employ fewer fixations and longer duration. In motorsports, very few attempts have been made at perceptual-motor skills of racing drivers. We analyzed visual search activities of racing drivers in the simulated racing driving situation. A total of 15 subjects took part in the experiment and they all had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. Two expert racecar drivers were competing in national and international races at that moment. Two intermediate drivers had experienced in race driving on the motor racing circuits. Others had no race experience. The results indicated differences between experts, intermediates and novices. Experts’ vehicle speed was higher than others. It can be seen that experts held the brake pedal position earlier and smaller time when they approached the corner, then stepped on the accelerator earlier and reached the maximum throttle position faster at the middle or apex of the corner. RMS of Steering wheel acceleration reveled that experts moved steering more variable while cornering. Proportion of eye movements types showed fixations of experts were more than intermediates and novices and, experts seldom blink and tended to set their line of sight towards and beyond the tangent point during the corner. SD of horizontal eye angle of experts were smaller than intermediates and novices. Findings which reveals expert racing driver used a systematic visual search strategy and control a car efficiently are discussed from not only expert performance approach but also empirical perspectives.