Realism of overtaking situations in motion based driving simulators

Paper in proceeding, 2013

The credibility of the research results of driving simulator studies is highly dependent on the realism that the simulator is capable of producing. A key component is therefore how realistic the driving is perceived by the drivers (test subjects). Overtaking is a frequently occurring traffic situation (as well as one of the highest risk manoeuvres). The aim of the present study was to enhance the perceived realism of overtaking situations in a motion-based driving simulator by introduce aerodynamic forces and moments. An earlier developed real time model of the aerodynamic forces and moments was been implemented and tested in a study with test drivers. With an appropriate scaling of the forces and torques it was shown that the perceived realism can be enhanced by the introduction of these effects.