What is TRACSLab?
The Travel Choice Simulation Laboratory, abbreviated TRACSLab, is a unique laboratory that aims to investigate travel choice behaviour of car drivers. It consists of multiple connected driving simulators (Holden Commodore) in which drivers make decisions.
What makes TRACSLab unique?
It is unique in two ways. First of all, it is the world's first laboratory in which multiple human drivers are able to drive around and interact in a single virtual world. In other driving simulators one human driver is typically confronted with multiple computer generated drivers. In our laboratory, the human drivers influence each other, allowing novel research in travel decision making. Secondly, while most other driving simulators focus on the driving task itself (e.g., shifting gear, steering, etc.) or safety (e.g., drivers being influenced by mobile phones or drugs), TRACSLab focus on travel choices (e.g., route choice, speed choice, lane choice).
Who funds TRACSLab?
The laboratory has been funded by the Australian Research Council under LIEF grant LE130100113, with additional funding from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney. Furthermore, research using the connected driving simulators is funded by the Australian Research Council under grant DP150103299 for four years (2015-2018).
