Veering

The tendency of blind and visually impaired pedestrians to gradually drift away from a straight path while walking, resulting in a curved trajectory rather than a direct line. Veering is a well-documented phenomenon in orientation and mobility research, caused by the absence of visual cues that sighted people use to maintain a straight heading. The degree and direction of veering varies between individuals and can be influenced by factors such as the walking environment, ambient sound, and the person's dominant side. Veering compounds navigation errors during turn-by-turn guidance, as even small directional deviations are amplified over distance, potentially leading to incorrect or unsafe paths.