Driver training

There may be variations in the lessons for different countries and languages. Not all of these lessons have been implemented for all countries for which lessons are available.

 

Languages and countries

Our driving simulators are used all over the world. In order to maximize the effectiveness of driver training, the driver training lessons are adjusted to the local language, rules of the road and traffic system as accurately as possible. The training simulators are available in a growing list of languages and for various countries (country-specific rules of the road and road signs and language). Systems are in right hand drive (RHD) or left hand drive (LHD), automatic and manual gear. The training is adjusted to the specifics of the countries where the simulators are used.

	language	examples of countries	system
	Dutch	Netherland Belgium	LHD LHD
	English	UK Ireland Australia Ghana	RHD RHD RHD LDH
	Spanish	Peru	LHD
	German	Germany	LHD
	Arabic	Egypt	LHD
	Bulgarian	Bulgaria	LHD
	Romanian	Romania	LHD

 

Description of lessons

Total lesson material, when all lessons are performed once, is around 10 clock hours. Lessons differ in length: durations may vary from a few minutes to 30 minutes per lesson. The instruction lessons, used during the first few hours of simulator training, are generally between 5 and 10 minutes. The operator may concatenate lessons into packages with the program ‘LessonConfig’. This is a package configurator for sequentially running lessons in a fixed order. You may make a package of 15 minutes or half an hour or whatever duration, depending on the requirements. For a description of the lessons and scenarios, see next.

The lessons have a certain logical order. For example, before the trainee starts to drive in a town (lesson P-Town) the priority rules have to be learned first and these rules have to be connected to the various situations involving right of way (the lessons I-Priority1 and I-Priority2). Also, it’s best to first learn the procedures for starting the engine and driving off (I-StartStop) and then to learn steering (I-Steer1 and I-Steer2). The best thing to do then is to first learn the traffic rules, traffic signs and to learn other basic skills before learning to change gear. Because of that, most instruction (I) lessons are done in Automatic gear. The recommended order of learning driving related skills then is:

1. Learn to start the engine, drive off, stop the car and switch of the engine.
2. Learn to steer using the pass-on method and the cross-over method .
3. Learn the basic skills concerning traffic rules and infrastructure (road types and signs) by connecting these to what is perceived while driving.
4. Learn to change gears in a lesson that teaches the procedures for gear changing, followed by a lesson that allows the student to train this further.
5. Learn the scanning procedures preceding a junction (for turning right, left and crossing the junction) and learning the actions to be taken preceding turning left or right (reducing speed, scanning, changing gears, use of indicator, etc).
6. Practice in a number of P-lessons what has been learned, starting with a lesson in a quiet rural environment.
7. Then it’s best to repeat a number of I lessons (priority rules, parking and stopping) before the P-lessons in the urban environments are done.
8. Then it’s recommended to repeat a I lessons on roundabouts followed by a P lesson on miniroundabouts in town.
9.  Repeat the I lessons on entering and leaving the highway, speedlimits and overtaking before the P lessons on highways, motorways and large roundabouts are done.   
10.  After that, the trainee can do a few rehearsal lessons with different types of roads: the P-Mix lessons.
11. And finally, a few tests can be done (the T lessons). When the results in the SAS indicate so, the trainee may practice a little bit further or the operator may select specific instruction lessons.

For most students it will not be necessary to do all lessons, while it may be sensible to repeat some other lessons a few times.

The special manouvres are not trained in the simulator because the sense of movement is very important in these manoeuvres. It’s better to train things like reversing and reverse parking in a real car. Also, driving backwards is generally experienced as unpleasant because it may induce feelings of simulator sickness.

The recommended order of lessons then is as follows:

INSTRUCTION phase

Lesson	Short description	Mode	Duration (mins)
I-StartStop	Procedures Starting the engine, driving off, stopping the car and turning off the engine	Manual	5
I-Steer1	Procedures pass-on and cross-over method of steering	Automatic	10
I-Steer2	Training steering with increasing speed	Auto drive	8
I-Brake	Training braking/braking distance	Auto drive	5
I-Follow	Training car following/gentle braking	Auto drive	5
I-Speed1	Speedlimits Dutch EHK roads	Automatic	5
I-Speed2	Speedlimits depending on road type	Automatic	6
I-Stop	Rules for stopping	Automatic	6
I-Park	Rules for parking	Automatic	3.5
I-Priority1	Rules right of way 1	Automatic	8
I-Priority2	Rules right of way 2	Automatic	8.5
I-Roundabouts	Procedures driving on roundabouts	Automatic	4
I-Othersigns	Rules obligatory driving direction and other signs	Automatic	7
I-Filter	Procedures entering and leaving the highway	Automatic	8
I-Overtake1	Procedures passing by and overtaking	Automatic	6
I-Overtake2	Rules overtaking	Automatic	8
I-Gear	Procedures gear shifting	Manual	5
P-PracticeArea	Practicing gear shifting on a secluded practice area for a fixed amount of time	Manual	5
I-Scan	Procedures scanning (viewing techniques) and preparatory actions while approaching junctions	Manual	16

 

PRACTICE phase (independent driving on a fixed route)

Lesson	Short description	Mode	Duration (mins)
P-Rural	Practice lesson outside built-up area	Manual	13
P-RuralOvertake	Practice lesson outside built-up area with passing-by and overtaking	Manual	14
I-Priority1	REHEARSAL right-of-way rules preceding Town driving	Automatic	8
I-Priority2	REHEARSAL right-of-way rules preceding Town driving	Automatic	8.5
I-Stop	REHEARSAL rules for stopping preceding Town driving	Automatic	6
I-Park	REHEARSAL rules for parking preceding Town driving	Automatic	3.5
I-OtherSigns	REHEARSAL other signs preceding Town driving	Automatic	7
I-Scan	REHEARSAL scanning techniques for approaching junctions	Manual	16
P-Town	Practice lesson in built-up area	Manual	17
S-TownB	Practice lesson in built-up area with bicyclists	Manual	17
I-Roundabouts	REHEARSAL procedures roundabouts preceding practice lesson	Automatic	4
P-Miniroundabouts	Practice lesson mini-roundabouts in built-up area	Manual	25
S-MiniroundaboutsB	Practice lesson mini-roundabouts in built-up area with bicyclists	Manual	25
I-Speed1	REHEARSAL speedlimits 1	Automatic	5
I-Speed2	REHEARSAL speedlimits 2	Automatic	6
I-Filter	REHEARSAL entering and leaving the highway	Automatic	8
I-Overtake1	REHEARSAL Overtaking 1	Automatic	6
I-Overtake2	REHEARSAL Overtaking 2	Automatic	8
P-Highway	Practice lesson highway	Manual	17
P-Roundabouts	Practice lesson large roundabouts and single carriageways	Manual	25
P-Motorways	Practice lesson dual carriageways and multi-way intersections	Manual	27
P-HighwayFog	Practice lesson highway with fog banks	Manual	17
T-2 (or other T test)	Test (exam) to evaluate whether the student needs more simulator lessons	Manual	10

The duration of the lessons is an estimation based on measurements with a fast learning student. In addition, some time must be planned for starting and closing the lessons. Total estimated time for the recommended lessons in the Practice fase: 5.5 hours.

It is recommended to do a test at the end of the practice phase. This is to evaluate whether the student is ready for continuing the training in a real car on the road. When the operator thinks that student is passed (based on the grade and own impressions) the student can continue training on the road. When the student fails the test, training may continue with specific I lessons or with additional P-Mix lessons to gain driving experience.

If required, additional lessons can be given on a mix of different road types, the P-Mix lessons, see next table. The P-Mix lessons are especially useful for the student to get more driving experience. However, the student should not train in the simulator longer than necessary.

Additional practice lessons

Lesson	Short description	Mode	Duration (mins)
P-Mix1	Practice lesson Mix	Manual	20
P-Mix2	Practice lesson Mix	Manual	20
P-Mix3	Practice lesson Mix	Manual	20
P-Mix4	Practice lesson Mix	Manual	20
P-Mix5	Practice lesson Mix	Manual	20

The maximum duration of the additional practice lessons is about 2 hours.

TEST Phase

Usually, a single T test will be sufficient. When the operator thinks the student has passed the test (based on the grade and own impression) the student proceeds with the on-the-road part of the training. However, the T tests can also be used to increase driving experience.

Lesson	Short description	Mode	Duration (mins)
T-1	Test	Manual	20
T-2	Test	Manual	20
T-3	Test	Manual	20
T-4	Test	Manual	20
T-5	Test	Manual	20