More and more driving schools in the UK are starting to offer the opportunity to undertake a part of your driving tuition in a driving simulator, and there are also many types of downloadable versions available to use at home, but are they a good idea, or is it more beneficial to be out and about on the road, experiencing ‘real’ driving situations?
Modern Technology
Of course, the main draw of driving simulators for young drivers is the technology. As a nation, we’re completely tech obsessed, and the chance to use some of the most modern and advanced technologies is something many teens simply can’t say no to. The question is – are they beneficial? On the surface, it would seem that driving simulators do have many advantages. Most notably, driving simulators allow for drivers to react to a variety of different situations that may be a rarity on British roads, or would be unsafe or unethical to recreate physically. It would enable those living in remote areas, for example, the opportunity to practice motorway driving, and would also allow learners to practice their reactions to adverse weather conditions, car failure, or accidents without being placed into a risky environment. It could be argued that simulators could allow for UK drivers to be more prepared for ‘real life’ driving.
Car Sickness Intensified
Despite these advantages, what we have to remember is that simulators, however advanced, cannot provide a true experience, and it’s possible that learners may not fully recognise the importance of such practice because, at the end of the day, it’s simply not real. There are further disadvantages to driving simulators too, with many reporting levels of motion sickness that make them unable to continue. The type of motion sickness experienced in driving simulators has been compared to that in flight simulators, and is widely attributed to a distorted horizontal field of view.
What Science Says
Perhaps the deciding factor in whether or not you should try a driving simulator should be based upon whether or not use of the simulator would have an affect upon the outcome of your practical driving test, so what does science have to say on the subject? The answer is remarkably little. There has been very little research done into a potential relationship between driving simulation practice and whether a student passes or fails the practical aspect of the examination. In fact, the only relevant research appears to be from a 2009 Ergonomics journal, which reported that ‘a higher chance of passing the driving test the first time was associated with making fewer steering errors on the simulator’ – our closest clue yet that driving simulators may be of benefit to new drivers.
The researchers who carried out the study were so confident that there was a definite, positive link between driving test outcome and use of the simulator that they recommended more large-scale studies into the area. As yet, however, we haven’t seen any more indications that driving simulators are beneficial. So what do you think? Would you give a driving simulator a go before taking your practical driving test?
