Effective Vehicle Driving Simulation: Lessons from Aviation

Recent advances in computer and display systems technology have made vehicle driving simulators a viable training and evaluation resource for both civilian and military operations. Such computer-aided simulation has unlimited human factors applications for improving the safety, efficiency, and cost of a wide variety of mechanical vehicle systems. However, technological capabilities do not, by themselves, improve the design or training process. For simulators to be effective, users must understand the complexities of the simulation system, exercise control over the simulator’s technological capabilities, and determine relevant criteria for simulation fidelity. Drawing on the experiences of the aviation community, this paper focuses on four important issues/applications for vehicle driving simulation: 1) modeling the simulation environment, 2) simulator fidelity and design, 3) automotive design evaluation (displays and controls), and 4) driver education and training.