How many young lives could this $66,000 Honda driving simulator save?

[Fumesucker]

http://www.gizmag.com/new-honda-driving-simulator/14386/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=7f76eda1cf-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email

In terms of teaching secondary students relevant and very useful life skills, there could be no better investment at every secondary school than Honda’s all-new automobile driving simulator. Honda has been developing bicycle, motorcycle and car driving simulators solely for the purpose of traffic safety education for almost a decade, and the this model is completely new from the ground up, designed specifically to enhance the ability of driver trainees to recognize, understand and appropriately react to potential risks. In a world where becoming part of the road toll is a daily risk we all share, one wonders at just how many lives a US$66,000 machine like this might save?

This new simulator has an added new function that provides easy-to-understand graphics and/or written descriptions of conditions where the driver should be cautious. Learner drivers are also given advice on how to safer driving in potentially dangerous situations they may encounter out on the road.

Honda says this new function helps the trainer provide students with more detailed and precise instructions. Moreover, the newly adopted high-definition LCD (liquid crystal display) enables trainees to experience a sense of driving that is closer to real-world conditions.

Since it was first introduced in 2001, Honda has sold approximately 200 units of the automobile driving simulator in Japan and around the world, along with its motorcycle and bicycle simulators.

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More at the link..

[tridim]

1. It can't be worse than the simulator I learned on in school.

16mm film and mechanical cockpits that didn't work very well. I think they were from the 50's.

I actually got a bad grade because my simulator didn't register my braking. :mad:

[Fumesucker]

2. You should be thankful, that prepared you to drive a Toyota...

:evilgrin:

[JVS]

3. Radmobile!

[One_Life_To_Give]

4. Interesting but I prefer practical time on a skid pad

While situations like a ball rolling out infront while the cell phone rings are easiest to teach in a simulator. I still think there are many advantages to programs like in Finland. Where actual driver performance/control of the vehicle in common skids/hydroplanning etc. are taught.

[Fumesucker]

5. Learning to control the vehicle is the easy part of driving in urban environments..

The hard part, IMO, is learning what is sometimes called "situational awareness", what I think of as "traffic sense" and getting the idea that you have to drive for all the other fools on the road as well as yourself.

That's where I see the simulator being a big plus, teaching the new driver how to deal with other drivers who are prone to doing stupid stuff. You could easily put five years worth of dangerous driving situations into a few weeks course..

[One_Life_To_Give]

6. May depend upon location

Most of the times I have been involved with cutting dead or soon to be teens out of wreaks. It's been one of a driver exceeding their ability to control the vehicle. But that was in a mostly bedroom community of 20k.

[Fumesucker]

7. I see your point.. I learned to drive in a largish city..

Of course my first car had a hard time going fast enough to go beyond my limited skills..

If you read the full article, Honda also has a six axis motion simulator that would give the the skid pad experience for somewhat more money..

I learned to fly RC planes by using a flight simulator program on my computer, no one at the field where I flew my first actual RC plane would believe me when I told them I'd never done it before.. And RC planes are harder to fly than the real thing.. It's a matter of training your reflexes and perceptions