At the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg a study was made on simulators in education of truck drivers. The tests should work out the learning effect on driving simulators especially under down town traffic conditions. Under the supervision of instructors, learners were educated in two different ways: driving simulators and in real traffic. The investigations covered: (1) vehicle parameters/characteristics, which have to be reproduced in the simulator; (2) technical validation of the simulators used; (3) physiological validation of the simulators used; and (4) didactical validation of the simulators used. The validations were carried out by comparison of results from driver training in the comparison of results from driver training in the simulators and in traffic. Although the simulators were not completely sufficient in any requirements, the tests showed that driving simulators are a useful tool not only for research but also for driver training. (A).
Abstract