Experiments and Usability Tests of a VR-Based Driving Simulator to Evaluate Driving Behavior in the Presence of Crossing Pedestrians

摘要

Road accidents are among the leading cause of death worldwide, with developing countries paying the highest toll. Among the different road users, pedestrians are the most vulnerable. A better understanding of the relation occurring between car drivers and pedestrians when they interact is necessary for the development of new research approaches and their fall in education/prevention. Given the risks involved in the study of car-pedestrian interactions, experimental studies are difficult and only simulators represent a feasible alternative. However, the high cost of driving simulators prevent developing countries from investing on these tools. In this research, we considered the possibility to use a simple low-cost (below 500 $) virtual reality (VR) based driving simulator to study the interaction between cars and pedestrians at unsignalized crosswalks. Young adults and elderlies were asked to drive in a virtual environment where simulated pedestrians would pass randomly on crosswalks. Driving behavior was numerically determined for both age groups using speed, time gap and driving accuracy. The obtained results fit with the behavior observed in real conditions, suggesting the empowerment of the application of low-cost VR-based systems for traffic safety research. Results on usability indicated the existence of discomfort during the use of VR tools, suggesting deeper studies on digital-divide issues.