A driver training simulator that works

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2000-05-18

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How good are simulators that run on the home computer?

The answer, of course, depends on the quality of the computer program. Some are little more than games. Others, especially in these days when steering wheels and joysticks provide positive feedback, convey a distinct feeling of reality and can serve as a useful adjunct to training programs. Many private pilots, for example, have benefited greatly in the early stages of their training from Microsoft Simulator and other similar software programs.

One of the latest driving simulators that is far more than a game is Profiler, jointly developed by SouthPeak Interactive, SAS Institute, and Profile Associates. Profiler, in fact, is an interactive software program to evaluate and train drivers. It's a diagnostic tool that measures decision-making skills, scanning abilities, and reaction times while maneuvering the trainee through a realistic driving environment.

In the words of a company representative: "Profiler provides a low-cost solution to driver training that produces visible results in the driver's performance on the job."

Minimum requirements are a Pentium II computer, preferably with 64 megabytes of RAM, running Windows 95 or 98. The program also requires any direct input, force feedback steering wheel with accelerator and brake pedals.

A measure of the program's sophistication is that it can assess the scanning abilities of drivers by measuring how they react to various objects as they appear in various positions on the screen. While much of the pioneering work was done with the law enforcement sector, the program's promoters see great opportunities in driver education among teenage drivers and the trucking industry.

The program got its start with funding from the U.S. National Institute of Health. During the development work, highway patrol cadets were used as experimental subjects and the data gained from their reactions in the lab were compared with data gathered on a real-life test track.

"Profiler is being used by more and more people, especially people who study and teach driving. The more data we gather, the better we'll understand how people drive-and eventually we'll save lives," a spokesperson said.

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