This article is considered relevant because: 1) car driving is an everyday and safety-critical task; 2) simulators are used to an increasing extent for driver training (related topics: training, virtual reality, human-machine interaction); 3) the article addresses relationships between performance in the simulator and driving test results--a relevant topic for those involved in driver training and the virtual reality industries; 4) this article provides new insights about individual differences in young drivers' behaviour. Simulators are being used to an increasing extent for driver training, allowing for the possibility of collecting objective data on driver proficiency under standardised conditions. However, relatively little is known about how learner drivers' simulator measures relate to on-road driving. This study proposes a theoretical framework that quantifies driver proficiency in terms of speed of task execution, violations and errors. This study investigated the relationships between these three measures of learner drivers' (n=804) proficiency during initial simulation-based training and the result of the driving test on the road, occurring an average of 6 months later. A higher chance of passing the driving test the first time was associated with making fewer steering errors on the simulator and could be predicted in regression analysis with a correlation of 0.18. Additionally, in accordance with the theoretical framework, a shorter duration of on-road training corresponded with faster task execution, fewer violations and fewer steering errors (predictive correlation 0.45). It is recommended that researchers conduct more large-scale studies into the reliability and validity of simulator measures and on-road driving tests.

This research provides knowledge to researchers and designers of training systems about the value of feedback in simulator-based training of vehicular control.

Motorsport has developed into a professional international competition. However, limited research is available on the perceptual and cognitive skills of racing drivers. By means of a racing simulator, we compared the driving performance of seven racing drivers with ten non-racing drivers. Participants were tasked to drive the fastest possible lap time. Additionally, both groups completed a choice reaction time task and a tracking task. Results from the simulator showed faster lap times, higher steering activity, and a more optimal racing line for the racing drivers than for the non-racing drivers. The non-racing drivers’ gaze behavior corresponded to the tangent point model, whereas racing drivers showed a more variable gaze behavior combined with larger head rotations while cornering. Results from the choice reaction time task and tracking task showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Our results are consistent with the current consensus in sports sciences in that task-specific differences exist between experts and novices while there are no major differences in general cognitive and motor abilities.

This article identifies two alternative collaborative spatial planning discourses: a leading government with societal participation and self-governance by societal actors with government participation. It shows how the boundary between the roles of governments and societal actors in collaboration discourses is shifting, but also how both collaborative planning discourses exist alongside each other in two Dutch urban regions: Eindhoven Region and Parkstad Limburg. In both regions, these alternative discourses on role division in collaborative planning are similar, even though Eindhoven is a growing region in which the local and regional governments collaborate intensively with companies, and Parkstad Limburg is a shrinking region that more actively involves citizens. The article concludes with reflections on the need to manage boundaries in collaborative planning.

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Motion platforms can be used to provide vestibular cues in a driving simulator, and have been shown to reduce driving speed and acceleration. However, motion platforms are expensive devices, and alternatives for providing motion cues need to be investigated. In independent experiments, the following eight low-cost nonvestibular motion cueing systems were tested by comparing driver performance to control groups driving with the cueing system disengaged: (1) seat belt tensioning system, (2) vibrating steering wheel, (3) motion seat, (4) screeching tire sound, (5) beeping sound, (6) road noise, (7) vibrating seat, and (8) pressure seat. The results showed that these systems are beneficial in reducing speed and acceleration and that they improve lane-keeping and/or stopping accuracy. The seat belt tensioning system had a particularly large influence on driver braking performance. This system reduced driving speed, increased stopping distance, reduced maximum deceleration, and increased stopping accuracy. It is concluded that low-cost nonvestibular motion cueing may be a welcome alternative for improving in-simulator performance so that it better matches real-world driving performance.

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To minimise lap times during car racing, it is important to build up brake forces rapidly and maintain precise control. We examined the effect of the amplification factor (gain) between brake pedal force and a visually represented output value on a driver's ability to track a target value. The test setup was a formula racing car cockpit fitted with an isometric brake pedal. Thirteen racing drivers performed tracking tasks with four control-display gains and two target functions: a step function (35 trials per gain) and a multisine function (15 trials per gain). The control-display gain had only minor effects on root mean-squared error between output value and target value, but it had large effects on build-up speed, overshoot, within-participants variability, and self-reported physical load. The results confirm the hypothesis that choosing an optimum gain involves balancing stability against physical effort.