Understanding the attentional mechanisms involved in mobility
The study of the attentional mechanisms involved in travel activities (walking, driving, using public transport or personal mobility devices) is essential for a better understanding of the mobility behaviour of people in travel situations. The main research questions are as follows: What happens when someone is driving while using a mobile phone or programming a journey on their GPS? To what extent can they divide their attention between these two activities at the same time? As a result of this distraction, are they more likely to miss a vulnerable road user on a motorised two-wheeler or scooter? Similar situations arise when people are walking and carrying out another task at the same time. Are they exposed to a greater risk of falling because part of their attention is diverted by another activity? The study of situations likely to distract from the main activity of moving (driving or walking) and therefore reduce the individual's cognitive resources is at the heart of Lescot's work.
Other work involves research into the perceptual-cognitive processes involved in detecting vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, scooters and single-wheelers. The question of how to improve the sensory and cognitive conspicuity of vulnerable road users for motorists provides insights into the complex mechanisms that make them less or less visible.