Effects of using headset-delivered virtual reality in road safety research: A systematic review of empirical studies

Abstract

To reduce serious crashes, contemporary research leverages opportunities provided by technology. A potentially higher added value to reduce road trauma may be hidden in utilising emerging technologies, such as headset-delivered virtual reality (VR). However, there is no study to analyse the application of such VR in road safety research systematically. Using the PRISMA protocol, our study identified 39 papers presented at conferences or published in scholarly journals. In those sources, we found evidence of VR's applicability in studies involving different road users (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and passengers). A number of articles were concerned with providing evidence around the potential adverse effects of VR, such as simulator sickness. Other work compared VR with conventional simulators. VR was also contributing to the emerging field of autonomous vehicles. However, few studies leveraged the opportunities that VR presents to positively influence the involved road users' behaviour. Based on our findings, we identified pathways for future research.

Keywords

• Empirical evidence
• Headset
• Road safety
• Systematic review
• Virtual reality