Comparing Eye-Tracking Metrics with the Driver Activity Load Index

This study investigated how perceptual workload in driving situations is captured by subjective ratings versus eye-tracking metrics. Fifty participants completed low- and high-complexity conditions while fixation behavior, blinks, and pupil diameter were recorded, and workload was assessed using the DALI scale. High-load scenes elicited longer fixations, fewer fixations per minute, reduced blinking, and increased pupil dilation, indicating elevated attentional demand. DALI scores increased with scene complexity and were negatively associated with fixation duration, demonstrating that participants’ subjective ratings were driven primarily by perceptual strain rather than cognitive effort. Eye-tracking patterns supported this interpretation: fixation-based indicators tent to reflect the cognitive component of demand, whereas DALI selectively tracked perceptual overload. Together, these results show that DALI is highly sensitive to visual density, and that eye-movement measures provide converging evidence for its specificity as a perceptual load instrument.