A Driving Simulator to Investigate Driver-Automation Coordination

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An upgrade is proposed for the existing driving simulator system of Dr. Birsen Donmez, Canada Research Chair in Human Factors and Transportation. Her research group utilizes a wide-range of methods to study driver behavior and driver interactions with technology. These methods include driving simulator experiments with human participants, survey studies, on-road experiments in the instrumented vehicle that her laboratory owns, and naturalistic data collection from drivers' own vehicles. Dr. Donmez's driving simulator is the primary piece of equipment her group needs for their experimental work on emerging vehicle technologies. A driving simulator enables the evaluation of driver response to different technologies in a controlled and repeatable manner without placing the participants or experimenters at actual crash risk. ******This upgrade will replace deteriorating parts of the existing driving simulator, and will also extend the capabilities of the simulator to support Dr. Donmez's growing research focus on automated vehicles. Vehicle automation promises substantial benefits for safety, mobility, the economy, and the environment. To fully realize these benefits, an improved understanding is needed of how best to support the new driver roles associated with higher levels of vehicle automation. The objectives of Professor Donmez's research program are (1) to support driver-automation coordination as vehicle technology rapidly changes, and (2) to advance the theory of driver-feedback as it relates to individual differences, driver attention, and vehicle automation. The proposed upgrades are urgently needed and are essential for Dr. Donmez and her trainees' continued success in this research domain. The research results will inform three sets of stakeholders within Canada and internationally: vehicle manufacturers, policy makers, and the public. Just as importantly, this program will train highly qualified personnel with a unique skill set combining expertise in human factors, traffic safety, driving simulators, instrumented vehicles, and statistics.******This driving simulator is essential for the training of Dr. Donmez's students. So far, 10 PhD and 17 MASc students, 4 PDFs, and close to 50 undergraduate research students have been trained utilizing this driving simulator. Dr. Donmez has also shared this resource with other faculty members in her university. The simulator has also been a great tool for experiential learning of high school students in the outreach efforts undertaken by Dr. Donmez and her trainees. Funding support from the NSERC RTI Program to update and improve this simulator would be a great investment in the training of several future highly qualified personnel and the continued success of Dr. Donmez's research group. **