AbstractObjectivesA virtual-reality training program has been developed to help older pedestrians make safer street-crossing decisions in two-way traffic situations. The aim was to develop a small-scale affordable and transportable simulation device that allowed transferring effects to a full-scale device involving actual walking.Methods20 younger adults and 40 older participants first participated in a pre-test phase to assess their street crossings using both full-scale and small-scale simulation devices. Then, a trained older group (20 participants) completed two 1.5-h training sessions with the small-scale device, whereas an older control group received no training (19 participants). Thereafter, the 39 older trained and untrained participants took part in a 1.5-h post-test phase again with both devices.ResultsPre-test phase results suggested significant differences between both devices in the group of older participants only. Unlike younger participants, older participants accepted more often to cross and had more collisions on the small-scale simulation device than on the full-scale one. Post-test phase results showed that training older participants on the small-scale device allowed a significant global decrease in the percentage of accepted crossings and collisions on both simulation devices. But specific improvements regarding the way participants took into account the speed of approaching cars and vehicles in the far lane were notable only on the full-scale simulation device.DiscussionThe findings suggest that the small-scale simulation device triggers a greater number of unsafe decisions compared to a full-scale one that allows actual crossings. But findings reveal that such a small-scale simulation device could be a good means to improve the safety of street-crossing decisions and behaviors among older pedestrians, suggesting a transfer of learning effect between the two simulation devices, from training people with a miniature device to measuring their specific progress with a full-scale one.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Training the elderly in pedestrian safety: Transfer effect between two virtual reality simulation devices


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2016-11-19


    Size :

    10 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





    Community-based pedestrian safety training in virtual reality: A pragmatic trial

    Schwebel, David C. / Combs, Tabitha / Rodriguez, Daniel et al. | Elsevier | 2015



    Community-Based Pedestrian Safety Training in Virtual Reality: A Pragmatic Trial

    D. C. Schwebel / D. Rodriguez / V. Sisiopiku et al. | NTIS | 2015


    Evaluating current and future pedestrian mid-block crossing safety treatments using virtual reality simulation

    Angulo, Austin Valentine / Robartes, Erin / Guo, Xiang et al. | Elsevier | 2024

    Free access