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A virtual reality evacuation experiment on driving behavior in reduced visibility

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DOIResolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-026-01337-y
AuthorSearch for: 1, 2ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7144-0279; Search for: 3ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5299-3014; Search for: 1, 4ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1669-3900; Search for: 3ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2789-6359; Search for: 1ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8878-2283
Affiliation
  1. National Research Council Canada. Construction
  2. University of Ottawa
  3. Lund University
  4. Carleton University
FunderSearch for: National Institute of Standards and Technology; Search for: U.S. Department of Commerce; Search for: National Research Council Canada; Search for: The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education
FormatText, Article
Subjectdriving simulator; headway; smoke; visibility; wildfire; evacuation
Abstract
Highlights: Two visual effects attributed to visibility: loss of contrast and loss of detail. Smoke and fog density affected headway during driving in virtual reality. Some participants followed the lead vehicle while others lagged behind. Limitations of virtual reality could have an impact on driving behavior. Abstract: Understanding human behavior during wildfire evacuations helps to improve the emergency management response. Virtual reality allows to simulate wildfire scenarios that would be challenging or unsafe to recreate in the real-world. Few studies have examined the impact of poor visibility conditions due to smoke on individual and aggregate driving behavior during a wildfire evacuation. This paper presents two studies conducted in virtual reality to better understand the effect of reduced visibility on headway (distance between vehicles). The first study, a pilot study involving 20 participants, investigated how smoke affects visibility using a head-mounted display. Participants’ task involved reading out loud the speed limit on a traffic sign placed along the road (no driving required). The results revealed two visual effects that could be attributed to visibility in the virtual environment: the loss of contrast and the loss of detail. Following the pilot study, a driving study involving 51 participants was conducted to examine the impact of lighting conditions (day/night), atmospheric conditions (smoke/fog), and varying density levels of smoke/fog on driving behavior. Participants drove in one atmospheric condition (smoke or fog) during daytime and nighttime through all density levels (random order). The results show that smoke and fog density affected distance headway.
Date published
PublisherSpringer Nature
Copyright statement
  • © Crown 2026
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In
  • Virtual Reality 30, no. 3, 147 (31 May 2026).
Related data
  • Berthiaume, Maxine, Arthur Rohaert, Max Kinateder, Enrico Ronchi, and Noureddine Bénichou. ‘A Virtual Reality Evacuation Experiment on Driving Behavior in Reduced Visibility: Deidentified Data’. National Research Council Canada, 12 August 2026. https://doi.org/10.4224/40004079.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
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Record identifierec6bc30d-2a95-469e-8867-622f9a97262e
Record created2026-08-12
Record modified2026-08-12

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