A driving simulator is a system of visual and physical tools designed to simulate the experience of controlling a vehicle. This is typically accomplished using a computer with a virtual environment and real-world control systems, such as a steering wheel and pedals.
Studies have proven that learning through experiential practice is the most effective way to learn new skills and information. Simulators allow instructors to implement this pedagogical approach for their drivers.
Table of Contents
Listening Skills
Driving simulators are becoming an increasingly helpful advanced form of driver training. They allow for more learning occasions in a shorter time and can provide improved feedback options such as kinetic energy meters or different camera angles.
Hazard Perception uses video clips of real driving situations to ask drivers to pay attention, recognize potential danger, and react accordingly. It’s a new kind of test, not like a multiple-choice quiz. It measures your ability to respond quickly and accurately to developing hazards. Interestingly, our study showed that a simple dual-task paradigm effectively examined the effect of hearing aid technologies on listening effort. However, this type of testing is less realistic than a driving simulator. Moreover, novice drivers were more likely than experienced drivers to fail to maintain their attention to the forward roadway while engaging in a more natural task within the simulator.
Focus
Staying focused on the task is crucial for safety, especially when you’re behind the wheel. Driving simulators can help you learn to focus on the road and your driving skills, resulting in improved safety.
Moreover, simulators can recreate any scenario, like tire failures or harsh weather conditions, which can be challenging for drivers to manage. This allows for more effective training of fleet drivers to improve their responses in such critical situations.
By blurring the lines between psychology, engineering, and medicine, Brooks and her team can offer valuable data to hospital therapists, military veterans, and automotive manufacturers. She’s helped them test new hand control designs, allowing people to drive with their feet or hands instead of using the brake pedal.
Self-Awareness
Researchers from NC State’s ISE Department have developed a simulator that helps drivers maintain attention when distracted by road signs and other obstacles. The system uses sensors to detect when a driver is looking away from the road and then triggers an audio warning to prompt the driver to look back.
The team found that the simulator-based system effectively improved driving self-awareness and situation awareness, with higher levels of both when information about the vehicle decision-making process was provided. The results also suggest that transparency in the design of autonomous vehicles can help to improve user trust and perceptions of safety.
This research used a cross-sectional approach to measure outcomes, and further longitudinal studies are needed to validate the questionnaire. However, this research does offer a framework for future investigation and development of measures to capture the impact that targeted self-awareness training can have on these outcomes.
Coordination
Whether you’re a novice driver or an experienced one, it takes coordination to keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Driving simulators can create realistic scenarios that force drivers to stay calm and take control of the situation.
There is growing evidence that simulator-based driver evaluations predict on-road performance. Studies are underway to validate this evidence and determine best practices for incorporating simulator technology into driver training.
A driving simulator consists of a dome mounted on a Stewart platform that provides longitudinal and lateral motion. It houses a vehicle cabin with three-axis electric drive systems that simulate acceleration, braking, and steering. Haptic feedback is provided by a stereo system that reproduces the vehicle’s engine and road sound effects and vibrations.
Situational Awareness
In high-risk situations, decision-makers may need to process vast amounts of information and make decisions quickly. A driver’s situational awareness can help them avoid accidents by allowing them to take into account their surroundings, including potential hazards.
This involves the continuous extraction of environmental clues and cues, their integration into a coherent picture of the current environment, and the projection of that meaning into the future. It also involves detecting and interpreting latent threats based on what is currently happening.
The factors that impact situational awareness include working memory, attention distribution, and goal-directed processing (e.g., anticipating the onset of a brake light). Driving simulators offer a realistic environment that can help learners overcome barriers to situational awareness and improve their performance in high-risk situations.
