Driving simulators and instrumented vehicles
Transport remains a leading cause of death and serious injury in Australia, despite significant advances in reducing the road toll. Driving simulation research and on-road vehicle testing using instrumented vehicles has played a central role in these advances, and retains significant potential to increase the sophistication of our approach to this major societal issue.
What is a driving simulator?
Driving simulators are used to conduct research in road safety and provide the opportunity to investigate and evaluate the skills of various road users (e.g. drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians) within a safe environment, and utilise an experimental design that is repeatable and easily adaptable - such as the ability to quickly alter driving scenarios and expose drivers to hazardous situations in a systematic way.
Simulation facilitates research that, for legal, ethical, practical and safety reasons, may not otherwise be possible to conduct. For example, road safety agencies may seek evidence demonstrating the potential influences of a new road safety treatment (e.g., road markings, signage) on driver behaviour before implementing the treatment across the road transport system.
What is an instrumented vehicle?
Instrumented vehicles provide a way to undertake on-road studies evaluating driver performance, safety and acceptability of the technology under typical driving situations. Test vehicles are fitted with a variety of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies such as speed sensors, reverse collision warnings, following vehicle distance warnings and seatbelt reminders. This provides the opportunity to evaluate the technical operation of these ITS systems as well as the potential road safety benefits of in-vehicle ITS.
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| The MUARC simulation laboratory is the only one of its kind in Australia. It is pivotal in the development and implementation of road safety countermeasures in Australia and beyond. |
Drive Smart is a free CD-ROM training product that can help you become a better, safer driver.
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