Observation, analysis and improvement of the behavior of vulnerable road users. Applications in virtual environments.

The aim of this project was to study pedestrians’ and cyclists’ behavior mainly focusing on road safety interventions, using virtual reality (VR) as the main data collection tool. The focus of the research was on vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists), who are more exposed to risks in the event of crashes, due to their lower level of protection and weight compared to motorized vehicle drivers. In VR, road users’ behavior can be analyzed in potentially dangerous scenarios, difficult to safely replicate in the real world, controlling variables that could interfere with the analysis. This work is divided into two main areas: the study of the behavior of pedestrians and that of cyclists. For pedestrians, experiments were conducted in immersive virtual environments to improve their safety. The studies on cyclists, on the other hand, used non-immersive simulations and real data, focusing in particular on interactions with vehicles and on infrastructural modifications, such as the redesign of road intersections. First, both simulators were validated. The experiments, carried out with the support of virtual simulations and ad hoc designed scenarios, involved both young and adult participants, in order to mainly analyze and compare their behavior in pedestrian and cyclist crossing scenarios. The results showed the effectiveness of VR in improving safety awareness and behavior, confirming how educational and infrastructural interventions, tested in virtual reality, can positively influence the habits of pedestrians and cyclists. The results, particularly on specific behaviors, highlighted that the chosen methodology could affect and improve users’ behavior. In conclusion, this thesis proposed VR as a comprehensive tool for the study and improvement of road safety, showing the need for a multidisciplinary approach that combines technology, education and infrastructure design to reduce the number and severity of crashes. Moreover, specific interventions were tested, defining efficient educational procedures and infrastructural layouts to improve road safety.