INFLUENCE OF LOOKING AT HAZARD LIGHTS ON CAR-DRIVING PERFORMANCE

The purpose of the present study was to determine what effect (if any) looking at an automobile's hazard lights has on the direction in whic h a car is driven. Eight Japanese drivers participated in this experim ent. Analysis indicated that (a) at night drivers passed closer to a f orward-facing stationary car than during the day and (b) when instruct ions were given to look at the hazard lights of a forward-facing stati onary car, drivers passed closer than when no such instructions were g iven or when the hazard lights were off. The relationship between look ing at the visible targets in a visually poor environment and the dire ction in which a car is driven was discussed.