Using Driving Simulators to Expand Moose Perception Data: Some Results and Validity Issues

Moose collisions injure and kill a multitude of animals and humans each year. While in-vehicle warning systems are under development, the evaluation of these systems is a challenging process. In comparison with traditional on-road instrumented vehicles, driving simulators offer safer testing environments, but pose validity concerns. To understand the validity issues, this study replicates and expands upon Robins's [1] on-road findings in “Moose Visibility Distance in Nighttime Highway Driving Conditions: A Preliminary Investigation”. The significant effect of moose location on perception time is supported while our data suggests that typical speed limits are even more problematic than Robins demonstrated. The results are discussed with a focus on understanding the validity of simulated driving and establishing future validation research directions.