Evaluation of a driving simulator with a visual and auditory interface

Abstract

Millions of driving accidents occur worldwide each year causing more than a million fatalities. Although traditional safety measures are largely reactive in nature, the application of wireless technologies has become much more common, thus promoting proactive strategies to save lives. This article presents the development and evaluation of usability of a driving simulator with a visual and auditory interface to assist drivers more quickly identify emergencies on the road, which, when used with the support of wireless ad hoc networking, can contribute to reducing vehicular accidents. The usability results obtained in this study were favorable according to the System Usability Scale (SUS) usability questionnaire, which was applied as a post-test. Employing the SUS, respondents reported the interface to be acceptable or good. Results show that utility of the visual interface was 69% and the score for the auditory interface was 100%. In sum, respondents felt the interfaces were useful in reported upcoming emergency or accident situations. © 2013 Springer International Publishing.