Book Review: Handbook of Driving Simulation for Engineering, Medicine, and Psychology

This handbook, a collection of 50 comprehensive articles covering research in driving simulation both in the United States and abroad, was prepared by experts in the fi eld. It is loosely bound together by introductory chapters on the history and limits of driving simulation research, a survey of driving simulation technology, and a discussion of appropriate research methods. Sections deal with simulator validation studies, statistical methods of analysis, measurement of vehicles, psychological and physiological independent and dependent variables, the selection of hardware and software, and applications of simulation research to psychology, medicine, and engineering. The handbook is a monumental work – more than 750 pages of closely spaced text, well illustrated with drawings, photos, and tables, with a voluminous list of references following each chapter. The authors are to be congratulated for this sorely needed addition to the literature. It will surely fi nd its way to the bookshelf of every driving simulation researcher. However, the term handbook is a bit of a misnomer. It is not a guide to the construction or operation of driving simulators or even to the design of simulation research programs. Rather, it is a survey of research that has been done, the problems encountered, and the successes achieved. The book is clearly intended for advanced graduate students or those contemplating active research in driving simulation. The chapters in each section do not rely on either preceding or following chapters. This characteristic is both a strength and a weakness of the book. Readers who are concerned with a specifi c problem need read only the relevant chapters to gain an understanding of contemporary research. The use of simulators to educate, evaluate, and train drivers is covered in 9 chapters within one section. Perusal of those chapters and the introductory material is all that is reasonably required. Research in simulator engineering is covered in 11 chapters. However, few references after 2007 are included, and the lack of a comprehensive references list makes it inconvenient to search for the writings of a given author (a single references list at the end of the book would be appreciated). Chapter glossaries should be combined as well. There is considerable overlap in material among the chapters. Tighter editing of the text would have provided additional space for the discussion of contemporary studies.