Driver Education Video Games: A Help to Reduce Collision Statistics?

A game developer in the U.K. recently designed a game that puts users behind-the-wheel and simulates the driving experience. There is nothing new about this form of technology; driving games have been around for years. But the main intent of the developers of the new game, the design agency Splinter and computer simulation specialists Lateral Visions, was to us the game as a driver education tool and to teach teens the risks of reckless driving. The interactive drivers experience the full effect of handling, and potentially crashing, a vehicle.

Although some may scoff at this approach, many have learned to enhance driving skills via games. Professional race car drivers often use computer games to get a feel for a new track. The risk is considerably less while the sensation of driving is similar to what a driver experiences while circling the track.

However, regardless of how prepared a driver may think he or she is after practicing on a computer, real-life is different. The risks are higher and the conditions more varied. Drivers shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that simulated driving practice is 100% equal to actual road experience.

For more information about driver’s education or to try one version of an online drivers education game, check out DriversEd.com.