Investigating Driving Behavior in Rural Areas During Extreme Weather Conditions through Integrated Driving Simulators and Virtual Reality

This project addresses the impact of extreme weather on rural driving safety, focusing on the unique challenges posed by rural roads, such as narrow paths, limited visibility, and poor maintenance. Rural areas often experience severe weather effects, including snow and flooding, which influence driving behavior differently than urban settings. Existing field-based studies on adverse weather and driving behavior face limitations due to the unpredictable nature of weather and driver responses. To fill this research gap, the project proposes the development of the Immersive Reality Roadscapes Virtual Simulation (IRR-ViS), which will use integrated driving simulators and virtual reality to study driver behavior during extreme weather on rural roads. The research has three objectives: Examine how drivers adjust speed and change lanes in rural environments, Analyze the factors influencing speed, lane changes, and time-to-collision (TTC), and Evaluate driver comprehension and responses under adverse weather conditions.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $73,866.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348321

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee

  404 Foote/Hilyer
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32307
• Project Managers:

  Moses, Ren

• Performing Organizations:

  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee

  404 Foote/Hilyer
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32307
• Principal Investigators:

  Guo, Qianwen

  Ozguven, Eren

  Moses, Ren

• Start Date: 20240601
• Expected Completion Date: 20250531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driving behavior; Rural areas; Simulation; Traffic safety; Virtual reality; Weather conditions
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01945636
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Rural Equitable and Accessible Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348321
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 12 2025 5:32PM