Evaluating the Real-World Validity of Driving Simulators: A Review of Comparative Studies

Driving simulators are a common tool for researching driver behavior, providing practical, safe, and controlled environments. Despite their frequent use in research, there is relatively little evidence confirming their validity (i.e., how accurately they represent or reproduce realworld driving). Moreover, there is inconsistency in both the types of simulators used, and the operationalization of ―real-world‖ driving in validations. This report was undertaken to
evaluate the evidence regarding driving simulator accuracy when compared with real-world driving. The review included 44 studies reporting a direct comparison between simulated
driving and on road driving in a vehicle. Measures reported for comparison varied but included mean speed, speed variability, lateral position, overall driving performance, and number of driving errors. Simulators in approximately half of the studies achieved absolute or relative validity, whereas one third produced non-valid results. To understand this further, the fidelity of simulators was considered, however this further clouded our understanding as the
relationship between simulator fidelity and validity was not straightforward. The findings suggest that the reporting of driving simulator studies requires improvement, particularly
around the validation evidence associated with the simulator, the specific details of the simulated driving environment, and the outputs of statistical analyses. Guidelines are proposed for future research to ensure consistency in the conduct, and reporting, of simulatorbased research.