Young Drivers’ Perception of Speed: VR and Video Footage Comparison Study

Excessive or inappropriate speed is one of the main causes of traffic accidents. This is even more pronounced among young drivers who often ignore speed limits due to lack of experience, peer pressure, desire to prove themselves, and driving under the influence. Precisely for these reasons, this paper aims to analyze how young drivers perceive driving speed depending on the type of road (highway and rural road), visibility conditions (day and night), and applied technology (VR and projector). The study included a total of 80 young respondents (18-24 years old) separated into two groups: the first group assessed the driving speed via video footage projection using a projector, and the second group did it for the same video footage shown via VR. The results showed that speed perception changes depending on the road type, visibility conditions, gender, and driving speed. Also, the respondents who viewed the videos via VR had a more accurate speed assessment. The study shows the potential of VR in research related to traffic safety and the human factor.