Driving Simulator | Experiential
Early morning fog is lifting as you merge into rush hour traffic, the review of your notes for your upcoming science test running through your head. As you adjust the radio to your favorite station, your phone buzzes; you have a text from your best friend. Anxious to find out what happened at the party you missed last night, you respond –
And you miss the curve in the road, cross the fog line and drive into the grass. You over-correct, swerving into the left lane, forcing the car beside you to steer into oncoming traffic. Panicked, you yank the steering wheel hard to the right, your foot missing the brake and accelerating instead into the ghostly hazard lights rapidly growing closer in the fog –
Thankfully the resulting collision only injures your pride, as your instructor adjusts a few options on screen and prepares to restart the test. You have just wreaked havoc in the virtual world through the aid of a driving simulator.
Driving simulators offer the “would-be” driver an opportunity to experience the driver’s seat without the risk to students, fellow drivers or immeasurable property. The most realistic driving simulators come equipped with real car parts, mimicking the physical look and feel of a vehicle’s interior. They use 3-D maps of real locations; they set you in authentic situations with everyday distractions and obstacles under different weather and lighting conditions. Pedestrians crossing the darkened street and drivers on phones are only two surprises you may encounter. Poor decisions result in consequences, including a law enforcement officer writing you a citation and a judge fining you, or you are visually experiencing a multi-car crash.
Not only does practicing on a driving simulator protect life and property, but it gives the student the unique opportunity to rewind and replay different situations, allowing them to unfold in slow motion or view them from different angles in order to learn from the event. All these benefits make training on a driving simulator a smart choice. Virtual driving now means a safer response on the road in the early morning fog as a text message alert sounds.
* Please note, here at Mercedes Driving School, we do not make use of Driving Simulators. Although they are proven to be useful, our experience has shown that our instructors are all our students need to learn how to drive. The purpose of the above article is to get the reader familiar with what Driving Simulation is.
