2024, Volume 30, Issue 3
RESEARCH DESIGN FOR INVESTIGATING TRUCK DRIVERS’ RISK BEHAVIOUR IN A SIMULATED ROAD TRAFFIC ENVIRONMENT: INSIGHTS FROM A CAR DRIVING SIMULATOR STUDY
PAULINA BARAN1, PIOTR ZIELIŃSKI2, MARIUSZ KREJ1, MARCIN PIOTROWSKI3, ŁUKASZ DZIUDA1
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1Department of Psychophysiological Measurements and Human Factor Research, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine
2Department of Aviation Psychology, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine
3Department of Simulator Studies and Aeromedical Training, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine
Autor korenspondencyjny: PAULINA BARAN; Department of Psychophysiological Measurements and Human Factor Research, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine; email: pbaran@wiml.waw.pl
Streszczenie
Abstract: Considering the statistics of road accidents worldwide, the study of drivers' risk behavior is important from both a road safety and public health perspective. The aim of this paper is to present a research design to investigate truck drivers' risky behavior on the road in a simulated traffic environment, based on our experience with a car driving simulator study.. The proposed research scheme was tested in a pilot study involving 30 professional male truck drivers (aged 30-62 years, M = 41.67; SD = 7.8) recruited using a convenience sampling method from various transport companies. The truck simulator, owned by the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine (WIML), was used in the study. The paper describes the procedure of the study, including the principles of designing driving scenarios, as well as the method of acquiring data from the simulator and preparing it for further statistical analysis and substantive interpretation of the results. The study of risky driving behavior, according to the research design adopted, has revealed the main challenges of using a virtual environment to simulate different driving events and make assessments of drivers' behavior in response to given stimuli. Therefore, the paper discusses the key issues related to conducting studies on drivers' risk behavior using a virtual environment and also includes some suggestions on research design to take into consideration.
Słowa kluczowe
risky behavior, truck drivers, car simulator, driving scenarios, road traffic, virtual environment