The Impact of Simulated Road-Space Perception on Driver's Behavior

The paper presents the results of a study developed in order to highlight the effect of a visual stimulus on driving behavior. One bidirectional route and three different lighting conditions were monitored: a reference scenario with light evenly spread; a second and a third scenario, with an attenuation of light.The results highlighted the role of the environmental brightness on driving behavior, all other conditions being equal. In particular, the effect of darkness on drivers’ actions displayed the difficulties that arise in the interpretation of volumes, spaces and distances when the perception of the road environment worsens.