teen driver training
February 12, 2019
Do you know someone who still uses a "flip phone"?
I'm sure you do but what does that have to do with driving simulators?
Any organization that owns a driving simulator knows that they are not inexpensive. It is only natural to want to use it as long as you can to maximize your investment, right? That's just what the owner of the flip phone says, "I paid good money for this and it still works".
Well, simulator training effectiveness has changed dramatically over the years and if your system is older than the iPhone 5 (2013), you are seriously missing out on all the modern features. To make matters worse, your existing simulation vendor (unless it is us) does not provide you with periodic updates for features and fixes! There are many $10,000+ "flip phone" grade simulators out there running antiquated Microsoft operating systems, non-HD screens and clunky cockpit drive-in movie style experiences for the teens. If you want students to realize safety is important, then the system should demonstrate that you believe it is too!
by Bob Davis, CEO & President of Virtual Driver Interactive
February 4, 2019
I didn't see that coming!" Famous last words after a crash. So why is that teens have the best vision and the best reactions but absolutely the worst crash stats? It comes down to scanning techniques. The more "focused" a person gets the more they tend to stare at a fixed point. Since teens realize they lack experience, they tend to narrowly focus their vision on the car in front of them. Good adult drivers realize that dangers and surprises tend to come from many places that are NOT in front of you:
- the pedestrian about to walk out into the crosswalk,
- the car approaching the intersection much too fast or
- the motorcycle that is about to pass you unexpectedly that you can only see in the rear view mirror.
So at VDI we decided that having a very wide field of view (sort of peripheral vision) is really, really important to learning safe driving. For our simulators, wow, you can look left and right and even "turn your head" to see way down the street. And we measure if you did! When we are done with them they KNOW to look all around, left, right, mirrors, and even behind the car before they get in the car. So from now on they might not see the note you left them about taking out the dog or cleaning up their room, but they will see that pedestrian!
by Bob Davis, CEO & President of Virtual Driver Interactive
January 28, 2019
It is a common misconception that once teens pass their driver’s license test they have proven they can drive safely. After all, that's what the test is about right? Well, no, not even close. The role of the DMVs, Department of Motor Vehicles, around the country is more about passing the minimum bar, and I mean the minimum amount of knowledge and competency to get your license. In most states, teens know beforehand the route they will taking during their test. And many intentionally avoid left hand turns. Really? If the inspectors thought the teen was safe to drive why avoid left hand turns? Or rain? Or night? Web-based driver training companies are trying to make it as EASY as possible to get your license. On YouTube you can look up many of the DMV tests state by state and they have all the questions and the answers clearly laid out on video assuring the teens only need to repeat the answers they know are required.
Why make it so easy to go out and do the most dangerous thing they'll ever do? While it might make a parent feel better that their teen has a license - please, please don't consider them fully capable of driving safely!
By Bob Davis, CEO & President of Virtual Driver Interactive
