Stability of measurements of simulated driving: A comparison between a static and a dynamic motorcycle simulator with different degrees of fidelity

The present study focuses on the investigation of the relations between self-reported aberrant and risky driving behaviors on the one hand and simulated driving performance on the other. We collected self-reported measures of driving style through the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) and the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI). We observed simulated driving performance through a low-fidelity driving simulator, the Honda Riding Trainer, and a higher-fidelity driving simulator, the Lander simulator. The final aim was to verify the coherence of the measurements obtained by the two simulators in identifying driving styles as measured by means of two self-report questionnaires. We carried out the experiment on an Italian sample of 85 participants aged between 19 and 32. The results showed that the relations between the measures provided by the two questionnaires are robust and positive, confirming the literature findings. Additionally, the relations between the driving variables provided by the two simulators are moderate and positive, suggesting that both simulators permit the identification of unsafe simulated driving behaviors, even though the simulators' fidelity differs. Finally, the relations observed between self-reported driving styles and simulated driving behaviors indicate that the DDDI predicts longitudinal speed control and speed violations in both simulators, whereas the DBQ predicts mainly longitudinal speed control in the HRT task and lateral speed control in the Lander task. Moreover, both simulators seem able to discriminate between different driving styles with reference to speed control and speed limit violations. The availability of multiple tools for assessing driving style broadens the scope for developing effective interventions to foster road safety.