Analyze driving behavior from the driver’s individual factors, explore the driver’s physiological and psychological response characteristics, and provide theoretical support for road traffic safety research. The physiological and psychological parameters of drivers have become a key indicator to support this type of research, and physiological and psychological instruments have become an important tool to support this research. Physiological and psychological instruments have the advantages of convenient operation and low cost, and are widely used in various fields of traffic safety research. This paper uses bibliometrics methods and VOSviewer software to analyze the relevant literature for 8 years (2012-2020), and clarifies the key topics, key research results and research progress of this research field. From the four dimensions of road alignment design, road landscape design, traffic sign and marking design, and road evaluation, the application of the physiological and psychological parameters of drivers in the road environment is sorted out. It also discusses the application of drivers’ physiological and psychological parameters in driving behavior research from the perspectives of driving fatigue, driving distraction, and different road situations. And discussed and prospected the application prospects of physiological and psychological instruments in the field of traffic safety research.