THE NATIONAL ADVANCED DRIVING SIMULATOR: POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS TO ITS AND AHS RESEARCH

In announcing the new Operation TimeSaver program in January of this year to the Transportation Research Board, DOT Secretary Federico Pena stated: "I want 75 of our largest metropolitan areas with a complete Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure in 10 years." The goal of this system is to reduce daily travel time by 15%. The upcoming deployment of various Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Automated Highway System (AHS) technologies will require major adjustments in the habits of drivers. Implementers of ITS technology must ensure that their systems are safe and lead to real improvements in traffic efficiency. These systems cannot cause excessive driver workload or remove his/her sense of "control" of the vehicle. A highly realistic driving simulator provides a powerful method of evaluating in-vehicle ITS technology in complex situations.