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A High Fidelity Driving Simulator as a Tool for Design and Evaluation of Highway Infrastructure Upgrades

A rapid prototyping approach was used in the driving simulation laboratory at the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) to simulate approximately 22 miles of US 191 between the Big Sky Resort community and the northern mouth of the Gallatin Canyon. Custom roadway tiles for the simulation were designed and programmed from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) “as built” plans for the highway, topographic maps, and video taken from a vehicle driving the route. The simulations may be used to help the MDT develop and refine safety countermeasures for that roadway. The primary benefit of the visualization and rapid prototyping approach using interactive, immersive simulators is that it provides an opportunity for formative evaluation, allowing engineers to refine the design at an early stage in the system development process before significant resources are invested in the deployment. As a demonstration and evaluation of the technology, a study of driver response to speed limits posted on virtual dynamic message signs over the roadway was conducted. Such signs may be used to post speed limits that vary according to road conditions. Drivers were tested with posted speed limits of 50 MPH, 60 MPH, and in a control condition with no posted limits. There was little difference in driving behavior between drivers with no posted limits and those with a 60 MPH limit posted. Drivers with a posted 50 MPH limit reduced their speeds by approximately 6 MPH. Drivers with the 50 MPH limit also showed decreased variation in lane position (i.e., fewer and/or smaller deviations from center of lane).