Assessing the Perceived Safety of Cyclists with Virtual Reality

In 2022, 7,522 pedestrians and 1,084 bicyclists were killed and approximately 67,000 pedestrians and 46,195 bicyclists injured in motor vehicle crashes on public roadways in the United States, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The transportation industry is faced with a pressing need to bolster the safety of these vulnerable road users. This research develops models of design and environmental factors that influence bicyclists’ and pedestrians’ perception of safety using Virtual Reality (VR) technology and ultimately informs transportation infrastructure design to better accommodate nonmotorized travelers. The goal of the bicycle element of this research is to develop models of design and environmental factors that influence bicycle safety perception. Preliminary findings show that VR-based Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE) simulators accurately replicate cyclists' speed profiles, heart rate variations, and head/gaze behaviors, highlighting their potential for improving roadway safety planning. This research indicates that IVE could be utilized to create a bike simulation that: tests various road environments exhibiting different types of bicycle infrastructure and varying traffic levels; how they affect users’ behavioral changes through observation of their interactions; physiological reactions assessed via biometric sensors; perceptions of safety assessed via a post-simulation survey.