In order to reduce the number of traffic accidents and raise awareness of the dangers of road traffic, the NRW police are breaking new ground. In a pilot project, the LZPD NRW is testing the use of virtual reality glasses in traffic accident prevention.
The VR glasses offer the opportunity to virtually experience a dangerous situation without actually being in danger. In a first 360-degree film, which the North Rhine-Westphalia police created especially for the pilot project, you are virtually placed on a bicycle and experience how you are overlooked and hit by a turning truck driver during the impressively realistic ride. In the second shot, the perspective changes and you see the processes from the professional driver's point of view. This view from the driver's cab in particular should be unfamiliar to most cyclists and heighten their awareness of the "blind spot" and its dangers. It also promotes mutual understanding between different road users. Nicole from Düsseldorf was one of the first to test the new VR glasses: "I often go out on my bike and found the change in perspective terrifying," said the racing cyclist. "I always wear a helmet anyway, but in future I will pay even more attention to the perspectives of other road users."
The ten district police authorities in Aachen, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Höxter, Cologne, Münster, Paderborn, Rhein-Kreis-Neuss and Unna are taking part in the pilot project "Virtual Reality Glasses for Traffic Accident Prevention in NRW" until December 31, 2021. Future 360-degree films will focus on the topics of "The road traffic area from a child's perspective" and "Distraction in road traffic".