Virtual reality to help nervous car drivers

LONDON, UK: Goggles, similar to those worn by comic book superhero Cyclops of the X-Men, may help drivers overcome their road phobias by transporting them to a 3-D virtual world, where they can tackle their biggest fears in a simulated setting.

Researchers at the University of Manchester (U-M) have recruited volunteers with a driving phobias to test whether virtual reality can be used alongside existing psychological therapies to help tackle their fears.

The Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment (VRET) will allow participants to drive on virtual roads and confront their fears, whether they might be driving over bridges, overtaking slow-moving traffic or taking to the motorway or dual-carriageway.

"A fear of driving, whether it has developed following a road traffic accident or for other reasons, can escalate into a situation where individuals are too scared to drive at all," said Caroline Williams, of UM's psychological sciences department, who will be carrying out the research.

"The advantage of using VRET is that it can be carried out in a safe environment rather than on real roads, which in extreme cases, could put the volunteers, therapists and possibly other road-users at risk through the adoption of defensive driving behaviours," she added.

The volunteers will wear the hi-tech goggles, which resemble those worn by Cyclops, to transport them into a virtual driving world, while sensors placed on their fingertips and chest area will measure anxiety levels.

Some of the volunteers taking part in the study have developed their phobia following an accident but others have no obvious cause, said an U-M release.

Among the phobias are fears of driving over bridges and fears of motorways: even the sight of blue motorway signs can be a trigger for some people.

©IANS