Detection of Cars and Pedestrians While Making Left Turn Decisions

In intersection accidents, the majority of drivers report that they either did not see a pedestrian or vehicle, or saw it too late to avoid a collision (Cairney & Catchpole, 1996). This research investigated left turn decision-making using a change blindness paradigm. We explored whether or not drivers were able to see and respond quickly and accurately to changes occurring in intersections. Results showed that drivers took longer to assess whether or not it was safe to turn when a change occurred than when no change occurred. There was a main effect of object type, where drivers responded faster to pedestrians than cars. As well, drivers responded faster to relevant versus irrelevant changes. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of change blindness for investigating intersection decisions.