3700 people lose their lives while driving every year. That number has lowered as safety standards for cars have become increasingly universal. Still, there’s no doubt that the road remains one of the least safe places you can be.
Avoiding accidents largely comes down to education. That’s why people need to be trained in most countries before receiving a license. The issue with training is that unskilled drivers will need to get behind the wheel of an actual car and put themselves and others at risk as they gain experience.
The use of a driving simulator aims to change that.
Driving simulators simulate conditions one might experience on the road but in a controlled environment. So, should they be mandatory? Below we explore their pros and cons.
Driving Simulator Pros
There are several advantages to using simulators as part of a driver’s education. The following is what mandatory simulator advocates say are the primary pros to leveraging this technology. Note that this list is non-exhaustive:
Heightened Safety
The number one advantage of leveraging driving simulators is an obvious one. By using the simulator, new drivers don’t have to take their poor skills and apply them to the actual road.
That has the potential to save their lives and others.
As we continue to assess data on all of the dangers that exist while driving, particularly among young people, legislative bodies and community members have become increasingly moved by the idea of safeguarding young drivers through the use of simulators and have pushed the technology almost solely for that reason.
Exposure to a Wide Array of Situations
Another key advantage of leveraging a car driving simulator is creating consistency in education. When you learn how to drive in the real world, you can’t account for all of the variables you might run into.
That makes it so one person may have a trying educational experience while another might have things much easier.
Simulators enable programmers to expose learners to a wide array of situations in hopes of equipping students with the tools they need to deal with varying degrees of adversity.
Data Collection
Keeping drivers safe is powered by understanding where most drivers experience shortcomings. Therein lies another advantage of simulator technology.
Simulators can collect accident data, data regarding how drivers react to situations, and more to understand which road challenges present the greatest safety risks. This data can then be used to improve the simulation and even inform real-world changes when it comes to rules of the road.
Presumably Lower Costs
It costs a lot of money to insure student drivers. Those expenses are passed down to learners when they work with organizations that take them out on the road.
By starting your education in an insurance-free simulator, students would presumably save money on their overall driving education.
Driving Simulator Cons
As you’ve now discovered, driving simulators provide a lot of value to learners. They are far from perfect though which is why they haven’t picked up steam at the breakneck pace some would hope.
Here are three cons to relegating portions of your driving education to a simulator:
Learning Outside of Reality
While learning outside of the confines of reality improves safety, it may dilute education. No matter how intricate you try to make a piece of software, there are massive differences between driving with a Fanatec CSL Elite as opposed to using a real steering wheel, pedals, and dealing with actual drivers.
Data is still being analyzed to understand whether or not experience picked up in a simulator translates into improved performance on the real road.
Imperfect Across Age Demos
Some people are just plain uncomfortable operating simulators. Consider, for example, a person in their 60s that’s looking to get behind the wheel.
Their discomfort with technology may make it seem as though they’re bad at driving when in a simulated environment. If you put those same people on the actual road though, they may be much more comfortable.
That truth has created conversations around age discrimination. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if mandatory use of simulations creates a non-equitable learning environment.
No Honing of Peripheries
A key component to being able to drive well is being able to deal with variables that exist all around you. That includes what’s happening outside of your windshield, behind and to the sides of your car. Most simulators don’t create an environment that accounts for all of that. Consequently, learnings picked up in a simulator can be less challenging then what you might experience on the actual road.
It’s worth noting that some driving simulators are working on this limitation. We’ve seen simulators that boast 360-degree immersive experiences that better mirror what a driver would bump into on the road.
Should Using a Driving Simulator Be Mandatory?
You’ve been presented with a handful of the pros and cons that a driving simulator might carry. Now it’s time to answer our big question: Should driving simulators be a mandatory part of a student’s education?
We feel that logging a few hours in a simulator before hitting the road could certainly benefit student outcomes. Look no further than the ample hours pilots need to put in with a simulator before taking to the skies. That makes for a real-life case study of how simulators integrate into education.
We hope that the insight we’ve shared with you has been enlightening. To enjoy more thought-provoking content, check out additional write-ups in our blog!
