Realism of overtaking situations in motion based driving simulators

Paper i 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.