TRAIN-ALL - Integrated System for driver Training and Assessment using Interactive education tools and New training curricula for All modes of road transport
Overview
Background & policy context:
About 40 000 people are killed and 1.7 million injured each year in accidents in the European Union. 150 000 victims become permanently disabled. A significant part of these accidents involves particular driver cohorts, such as motorcycle riders, truck drivers and emergency vehicle drivers. For example, accidents with the involvement of novice drivers account for roughly 15% of all traffic accidents, whereas this group accounts only for 2% of the total traffic volume.
Several scientific studies have shown that a good percentage of these accidents may be attributed to insufficient or even inappropriate training, of higher order skills and risk awareness. Computer Based Training (CBT) tools, such as training videos and CDs, multimedia training, static and dynamic driving simulators, Ambient Intelligence and cooperative driving- based simulation systems, mobile units (i.e. eye tracking) and in-vehicle tools (black box, ADAS, IVICS, cameras) have been proposed and used to train relevant skills in small scale projects so far.
There is a pan-European consensus on the fact that driver training needs to expand away from its current focus on controlling the vehicle in traffic, so as to cover 'higher level' strategic factors. TRAIN-ALL can improve initial and continuous driving training in order to stimulate road users towards a more responsible behaviour. In this way the project can contribute to the European Road Safety Action Programme's goal of halving the number of road fatalities in 2010.
Objectives:
TRAIN-ALL aimed to develop a computer-based integrated training system for different land-based drivers of passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycles and emergency vehicles, that integrates multimedia, driving simulator, virtual driving simulator and on-board vehicle sensors, into a single modular platform. The new system is cost-effective (able to create a viable business) and adequate both for training and assessment during all modes of vehicle operation (pre-trip, on-trip and emergency handling).
Specific project objectives were:
- To prioritise a concise set of training scenarios for each driver type, for which the use of computer-based training is recommended, with emphasis on risk awareness and emergency handling, covering all levels of driver behaviour (control, manoeuvring, strategic, behavioural).
- To agree on a minimum set of technical specifications for the development of computer-based systems for driver training and assessment.
- To benchmark existing and emerging technologies, such as multimedia s/w, driving simulators, virtual and augmented reality based simulation, etc., against the actual needs and priorities of different categories of drivers.
- To develop a common and concise ontological framework for CBT tools functionalities and scenarios that will guarantee interoperability and transferability of scenarios and data between different CBT tools, and will also support collaborative simulation applications.
- To develop a cost-efficient and valid methodology to assess simulator reliability and fidelity and correlate it to actual driving behaviour.
- To employ Intelligent Agents Technology in order to develop CBT's with AmI-based traffic participants, representing with high reliability a natural traffic environment.
- To develop cooperative training scheme (trainee-trainee and trainer-trainee) and co-driver training (for emergency vehicle co-pilots) scenarios and tools, allowing multiple trial-time interactions and even remote presence.
- To develop the appropriate P2P tools to allow CBT's networking and even real-time collaboration, as well as central data storage and processing for statistical and research reasons.
- To develop a virtual instructor module, that will allow autonomous and cost-effective multi-user training by CBT's.
- To develop guidelines and specifications on simulator sickness aversion in CBT's design and operation.
- To develop and test the method of adaptive training, where t
Methodology:
The core developments focused on driving simulators, with several prototypes developed. New simulation tools have been developed for motorcycle riding, passenger car (novices and emergency drivers) and truck driving. The new tools include also VR-based immersive simulation tools, as well as a common architecture (ontologies-based) and a modular simulator design process for multi-user groups.
The new simulation tools encompass many innovative features, such as AmI-based traffic participants, virtual instructor guidance, ADAS/IVICS training modules and support co-driving, co-operative and group training, remote networking, dynamic scenario management, enhanced reality representation and adaptive training. The developed tools have been tested and optimised with over 250 drivers in 8 pilots Europe-wide, aiming at products, guidelines, standards, certification and accreditation at pan-European level.
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