Abstract
Aim: The article explores the application of virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse environment in education aimed at enhancing safety of road traffic and tourism awareness. The research emphasizes the interconnection between tourism and public safety, particularly in unfamiliar urban or natural environments where tourists are exposed to increased risks due to limited knowledge of local traffic rules and geography. The primary goal of the work is to identify and present the potential of immersive virtual technologies as tools for building competencies in safe behaviour for both everyday road users and tourists undertaking mountain expeditions. The paper further aims to demonstrate how small educational or institutional teams can develop effective VR-based solutions with limited resources.
Project and methods: The study is based on a dual approach: a literature review of existing VR systems used for safety education in tourism and traffic contexts, and analysis of a practical case of two original VR applications created by the author. These applications - SafeDrive and Rescuer - were developed using the Unity engine and implemented within the Spatial.io metaverse platform. SafeDrive simulates an urban infrastructure environment in the city of Dąbrowa Górnicza to educate citizens on the principles of traffic safety, while Rescuer guides users through the principles of safe mountain tourism using interactive scenarios tailored for different groups, including seniors and emergency responders. The Gartner Hype Cycle model was employed to assess the maturity and future potential of VR technologies in educational applications.
Results: The developed applications demonstrated high usability and functionality in diverse educational environments. Testing across various platforms - from VR headsets to mobile browsers - confirmed broad accessibility and effective performance. Immersive interaction with realistic urban and natural environments enabled users to better understand potential threats and develop appropriate behavioural responses.
Conclusions: The analysis highlights that VR and metaverse environments offer substantial potential as modern educational tools in the fields of road safety and tourism. The immersive, interactive, and scalable nature of these technologies enables the creation of realistic, safe, and repeatable training conditions that cannot be achieved through traditional educational means. The paper concludes that immersive virtual platforms should become a permanent element of modern strategies for developing social safety awareness and responsible tourism.
Keywords: virtual reality, metaverse, road traffic safety, mmersive education, educational tourism
Type of article: original scientific article
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