WHY USE DRIVING SIMULATORS?

 Using a driving simulator for training allows you to expose your drivers to various challenging and hazard-laden scenarios in a controlled environment.

A driving simulator may offer the following training benefits:

• Expedited exposure to a broad range of traffic situations
  
  
• Scenarios may be designed to harbor a large number of learning occasions in a short period of time. This will make training more intense. During actual road use, the learning occasions are fewer in number.
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• Improved feedback options from different perspectives.
  
  
• Without feedback, learning is impossible. Driving simulators offer the opportunity to give feedback during driving, for example by showing the candidate’s actions during a specific traffic assignment ‘from above’ or by displaying them from the perspective of the other road user.
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• Unlimited repetition of learning occasions
  
  
• If a driving instructor wants to practice merging on a busy motorway in a driver’s ed car, he depends on the contingency of this difficult merging task occurring during the driving lesson. In a driving simulator the required situation may be staged and often repeated.
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• Automated and objective assessment
  
  
• In a driving simulator, a candidate’s performance may be measured very accurately and objectively. During driving lessons, candidates have to rely on the driving instructor’s ‘clinical view’.
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• Demonstration of actions
  
  
• During driving lessons, the driving instructor tells the candidate how to act. Hardly ever does the instructor take place behind the wheel to show the candidate how things are done. In a driving simulator,  screens may show how actions are supposed to be carried out.
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• Safe practice environment
  
  
• Only very few candidates will have had driving lessons in dense fog. In a simulator, driving in hazardous conditions can be practiced safely.

First of all let's get one thing out of the way: real-world driving training and experience is irreplaceable and crucial. However, simulators can provide a controlled, safe, and effective environment to learn and practice driving, and advanced driving, skills. They are an invaluable tool in modern driver education and training programs. Here's 12 reasons why:

1. Safety: One of the primary reasons for using simulators in driver training is safety. New drivers can practice challenging or potentially dangerous situations without the risk of real-world consequences.
2. Cost-Effectiveness: Using simulators can reduce the need for wear and tear on real vehicles, lower fuel consumption, and reduce other associated costs, such as insurance premiums for training vehicles.
3. Consistency: Simulators can offer 100% consistent, repeatable scenarios. This ensures that every trainee gets the same experience, allowing for standardised training and assessment.
4. Immediate Feedback: With advanced technology, simulators can provide real-time feedback to the driver, pointing out mistakes and suggesting corrective actions.
5. Variety of Scenarios: Simulators can mimic a wide range of driving conditions, traffic conditions, and scenarios (city driving, highway driving, emergencies) that may be difficult to reproduce in real life.
6. Customised Learning: Training can be tailored to the needs of individual students. For example, if a student struggles with manoeuvring in a car park, the simulator can provide additional parking scenarios until they become proficient.
7. Environmentally Friendly: Simulated driving consumes no fuel and produces no emissions. Ok slightly misleading - of course simulators use electricity, electronic components from around the world, and whatnot but you get the point. They aren't petrol or diesel powered and they typically last longer than real vehicles. They also don't crash, cause spillages, or burn rubber.
8. Data Collection and Analysis: Simulators can track a wealth of data during training sessions, which can be analyzed to assess driver performance and areas needing improvement. 
9. Reduces Training Time: With the ability to focus on specific scenarios and immediate feedback, learners can often achieve proficiency more quickly than in real-world conditions.
10. Reduces Risk of Damage: Training in a simulator means there's no risk of damaging a real vehicle, which can be especially beneficial when training drivers for larger vehicles like Traffic Officer vehicles, buses, or trucks.
11. Psychological Comfort: For very new drivers or those apprehensive about getting behind the wheel, starting in a simulator can reduce anxiety, giving them confidence before transitioning to real-world driving.
12. Accessibility: Simulators can be accessible for those who might have difficulties accessing real vehicles for training, such as people with certain disabilities or those living in remote areas.