Usually we steer a car using mainly visual information to perceive road's shape and bends. We developed a driving simulator with visual and/or tactile information guides to virtually present drivers' lateral position and to enhance their steering performance. The purpose of this study was to test effects of the cross-modal guide information on the driving performance. We found that the tactile guide improved driving accuracy more than the visual guide without any tradeoff of driving loads. Thus, the tactile information of virtual position of a car is useful for assisting and improving driver's performance with fewer loads.

We developed a driving simulator with visual and/or auditory information display to enhance the perception of lateral position of the driving car in real-time. The purpose of this study was to test effects of the cross-modal assistance information on the driving performance. We found the discrete visual assistance improved the driving accuracy, but increased the driving load. For auditory and audio-visual assistances, the continuous information improved the accuracy without increasing the load. Thus, the cross-modal information is useful for assisting and improving driver's performance with fewer loads.