Abstract Snow squalls remain a dangerous meteorological hazard, particularly to highway drivers. While snow squalls do not cause significant amounts of total snowfall, their rapid onset and intense nature create an environment conducive to roadway fatalities. In particular, the near-zero visibility and slick roadways caused by snow squalls can catch drivers by surprise, leading to multi-vehicle pileups. Though the US National Weather Service began issuing Snow Squall Warnings to mobile phones in 2018, many individuals remain unaware of the risks posed by this hazard. Additionally, extra cultural and language barriers exist when using traditional text-based warnings and guidance to communicate risks to Spanish-speaking groups with Limited English Proficiency. To enhance more traditional methods of risk communication, especially among non-native English-speaking groups, we created a virtual reality (VR) snow squall driving simulation. The simulation provides an open-ended environment in which users drive through a simulated snow squall. We conducted a user study in which 216 individuals tested the simulation and completed a survey. In total, 146 of the participants used the simulation and answered the survey questions in English, while the other 70 participants used the simulation and completed the survey in Spanish. Using the results, we compared the effectiveness of the VR simulation across the two survey cohorts. We found the VR simulation to be an effective communication tool across both groups, with participants finding the experience enjoyable and reporting intent for behavior change if faced with a real snow squall.
Martin et al. (Sun,) studied this question.