Video-based ocular and postural indicators in naturalistic driving: An exploratory comparison by age group and gender

This exploratory observational study describes video-derived ocular and postural indicators during naturalistic driving in 30 volunteers, comprising 16 men and 14 women aged 25–50 years. Participants completed one daytime driving session in their own vehicles. Cabin-facing and forward-facing cameras recorded video at 1920 × 1080 pixels and a standardised frame rate of 30 frames per second. MATLAB-based processing included face and eye-region detection, blink analysis, and image-based posture assessment. The manuscript reports descriptive comparisons by gender and by age group, distinguishing younger adults aged 25–35 years from middle-aged adults aged 36–50 years. These observations require cautious interpretation because eye-region image coordinates are not equivalent to calibrated gaze direction, posture estimates require geometric validation, and the independence of repeated frames and events must be addressed. The recorded response interval concerns a visible ocular response to a road event rather than braking performance. The study does not establish causal demographic effects, validated driver-state classification, or the effectiveness of demographic-specific monitoring systems. Its contribution is an exploratory description of the selected indicators and the methodological requirements for subsequent validation.