Integrating actual road design into highway driving simulators for research, design, and consumer information applications

The ability to capture actual road conditions in an automated and cost-effective manner has increased significantly with advances in sensor technologies, computer capabilities, and analysis techniques. Likewise, the fidelity of low-cost highway driving simulators has advanced over the years. This paper presents the latest results of Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) work at the Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA regarding the capture of road geometry and other road features and its use in a driving simulator for research, design, and public education purposes. FHWA’s Digital Highway Measurement (DHM) System utilizes multiple sensor and location technologies and computer analysis capabilities to efficiently collect and process roadway geometry and other information. These electronic files, together with roadside features such as signage and markings can be imported into the highway driving simulator to create a simulation of an actual road. To demonstrate the capabilities of the system, information was collected on a two-lane rural road; the processed data was imported into the driving simulator; and a comparison of driving performance was made for two sets of drivers (one set that drove the road under varying pavement markings and another who drove the simulated road). The simulator was also used by highway engineers to help design an entirely new interchange configuration (diverging diamond). Human subjects drove the simulation to test their understanding of the design. The video of the simulated road was also used in a public hearing process to brief and convince private citizens of the value of the new design.