Driving simulator validity : some considerations

The validity of driving simulators for behavioral research is discussed. The concept of validity is introduced and explained, and a survey of validation studies follows, in the TNO driving simulator and others, comparing field and simulator study results. Results for mid-level driving simulators show that generally absolute validity of route choice behavior is obtained and relative validity of speed and lateral control behavior is obtained. There is evidence suggesting that for a number of applications the presence of a moving base and possibly a higher image resolution might increase the validity of a driving simulator