A Driving Simulator Study for Assessing the Potential of Augmented Reality Technology to Improve the Safety of Passing Maneuvers

An important safety issue on two-lane rural roads relates to overtaking crashes where one vehicle attempts to overtake a slow-moving vehicle traveling in the same direction. Overtaking involves a complex decision-making process, whereby drivers must await an adequate gap in oncoming traffic to safely complete am overtaking maneuver; in this context, an incorrect gap assessment can lead to serious head-on collisions. The application of in-vehicle Augmented Reality (AR) technology could optimize the driver's visual attention, by providing him/her with additional visual feedbacks to improve both perception and decision-making process. This study focuses on a novel AR application aimed at improving the safety of overtaking maneuvers by means of various AR video and audio warnings. A driving simulator study was carried out to test the effectiveness of the proposed AR system and assess the potential of drivers to select suitable gaps in the oncoming traffic to safely perform the overtaking maneuver, with and without the AR warnings. Significant positive effects of AR warnings on traffic safety and operation were observed, thereby demonstrating the several benefits of integrating AR and connected vehicles technologies.