Abstract :
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate steering control in a low-cost driving simulator with and without a virtual vehicle cab. Background: In low-cost simulators, the lack of a vehicle cab denies driver access to vehicle width, which could affect steering control, insofar as locomotor adjustments are known to be based on action-scaled visual judgments of the environment. Method: Two experiments were conducted in which steering control with and without a virtual vehicle cab was investigated in a within-subject design, using cornering and straight-lane-keeping tasks. Results: Driving around curves without vehicle cab information made drivers deviate more from the lane center toward the inner edge in right (virtual cab = 4 [+ or -] 19 cm; no cab = 42 [+ or -] 28 cm; at the apex of the curve, p Conclusion: The findings strongly suggest that without cab information, participants underestimate the distance to the right edge of the car (in contrast to the left edge) and thus vehicle width. This produces considerable differences in the steering trajectory. Application: Providing a virtual vehicle cab must be encouraged for more effectively capturing drivers' steering control in low-cost simulators. Keywords: driving simulator, vehicle cab, steering control, lateral position, curve DOI: 10.1177/0018720818769253