Virtual Reality & Road Safety for Instruction

Award Title
First Prize Winner – Road Safety Research Award on Alcohol and Drug Impairment

Awarding Institution
Roma Tre University - Promoted and funded by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy – Department for Anti-Drug Policies. 

Programme
"Contro alcol e droga per guidare sicuri"

Award Year
2024

Project Overview
Research and development project focused on the design and implementation of an immersive Virtual Reality framework for the simulation of perceptual, cognitive and motor impairments induced by psychoactive substances. The project involved the analysis of scientific literature concerning alcohol, cannabis (THC) and hallucinogenic substances, the identification of reproducible behavioural and perceptual effects, and the development of modular simulation algorithms within a real-time 3D environment. The framework was designed to support education and awareness activities related to road safety, enabling the safe reproduction of altered states through Virtual Reality technologies and interactive simulation environments.

Case Study
Simulation of Psychoactive Substance Effects on Drivers and Pedestrians within a Metaverse Environment.

Areas of Expertise Involved

• Virtual Reality (VR)

• Unity 3D Development

• Human Factors Engineering

• Road Safety

• Behavioural Simulation

• Immersive Technologies

• Serious Games and Educational Simulations

• Human-Machine Interaction

• Software Development (C#)

• Traffic Safety Research

Key Outcomes

• Development of a modular Virtual Reality framework capable of reproducing perceptual alterations associated with alcohol, THC and hallucinogenic substances.

• Design and implementation of configurable visual, auditory and motor impairment simulation algorithms.

• Integration of scientific evidence on psychoactive substance effects into immersive simulation environments.

• Creation of a reusable software architecture applicable to road safety education and public awareness initiatives.