Online driving simulator is being utilized, not only for entertainment purposes, but also for professional training and research as well. Some driver education courses use software programs or online applications to augment their training. Car companies are utilizing online driving simulation in order to provide a virtual test drive of their cars, and to conduct engineering and safety studies. Whether it’s an online truck driving simulator or a simulator for those training to operate a train, these virtual methods of training new drivers bring safety and cost benefits, as well as convenience for the end-user.
Online Driving Simulator – A Partial and Brief History
Online driving simulator is the descendant of video arcade games of the 1970s that introduced 2-D overhead views of driving tracks or routes. As more sophisticated gaming software was developed, point-of-view games that included effects such as the vibrations felt when vehicles hit guard rails; swerve onto raised safety pavement markers; swerve off the pavement onto dirt or grass; and collisions were simulated. The airline industry also was very instrumental in the development of the online driving simulator. Convinced that a driving simulator would contribute greatly to safety and performance studies that would prove cost-effective, the engineers at Daimler-Benz faced an arduous task convincing the company’s chairman of the board. As the chairman controlled the allocation of money to such a project, the new simulator depended on successfully convincing the board chairman of the efficacy and long-term cost-effectiveness of the simulator. After a visit to Lufthansa’s flight simulator, the decision was made to invest in the project. Today, online driving simulators are used as education and training tools in municipalities around the world.
Online Driving Simulator – Safety, Training and Fun
Online driving simulator is a feature of driver education programs in the United States and Europe. One municipality in the U.S. allows a percentage of the driving instruction to be performed via a driving simulator. For those who are curious, or who have an interest in obtaining their commercial driver’s license (CDL), there is also available an online truck driving simulator. The use of an online driving simulator is also a way to learn city streets and highways before getting in an actual vehicle. In this manner, one can get lost from the privacy of one’s home or office without burning gas or further polluting the environment. This author encountered at least one such free online driving simulator. In this simulator one had the option to choose type of vehicle and where to drive. Getting lost was never so much fun.
Online Driving Simulator – Available and Accessible
Online driving simulator is available by download, or may be utilized directly from any number of websites. A percentage of the software and online applications available targets children, and aims to instill safety and responsibility at a very impressionable age. By the time individuals reach their teenage years they become, unfortunately, the population with the highest morbidity and mortality rate from motor vehicle accidents. Whether for fun, research, or education and training, the online driver simulator is becoming a popular tool to obtain the driver experience.