Benefits and challenges of multi‐driver simulator studies

Abstract

Lessons learned from a multi-driver simulator study are presented. The motivation of the use of a multi-driver simulator is outlined by describing the need to study driver–driver interaction and the so far existing insufficient methods. Therefore the multi-driver simulator MoSAIC ‘Modular and Scalable Application-platform for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) components’ at the German Aerospace Center will be presented. Its benefits and requirements in the conduction and analysis of obtained data are derived from theoretical analysis of recent work on multi-driver simulators as well as methodological requirements to study driver behaviour. Based on a study within the German national project UR:BAN (German acronym ‘Urbaner Raum: Benutzergerechte Assistenzsysteme und Netzmanagement’) to evaluate the impact of cooperative ITS on non-equipped drivers, further lessons learned are collected. Driving parameters are operationalised to evaluate the safety criticality as well as the overall acceptance of the equipped driver's behaviour from the perspective of non-equipped naive drivers. However, main focus is on non-equipped drivers’ behavioural changes in regard to an imitation of the efficient driving behaviour of an equipped driver. Parameters measuring not only individual behavioural adaptation, but also behavioural adaptation of a platoon of drivers are presented. Thus, a step towards a methodology for studies with multi-driver simulators, especially for the data analysis, is made.