Learner drivers to be trained on simulator

Dubai: Learner drivers will soon be trained on a driving simulator - the first of its kind in the region - in addition to real-time training on the road, Gulf News has learnt.

The licensing agency of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has acquired a 'vehicle' simulator which will help assess the abilities of learners.

"The technology used in the system is quite unique and unprecedented worldwide as it is the sole system that uses vehicles physically," said a senior official.

The vehicle is driven using a steering wheel with mobile monitors on both sides of the vehicle to reflect the driving speed.

The technology is different from other simulator technologies as it gives the driver a real feel of road conditions and enables an assessment of their performance without risking the life of the trainee or other road users.

The technology can be adapted for training and assessing drivers in accordance with risk management guidelines. It can also give the driver instructions and produce a report on the driver's road conduct and driving attitudes.

The system can produce CDs with aerial photos of the vehicle in a road environment and will be useful in to further refine driving habits.

Engineer Ali Al Jasem, director of the licensing section at the Licensing Agency Dubai, said the agency was preparing a plan in coordination with driving institutes on how to adopt the simulator.

"We are in talks with the driving institutes to check the effectiveness of the system and the possibility of installing it in driving schools," he told Gulf News.

The agency recently introduced mandatory night classes for learner drivers and is working on plans to introduce highway classes for new drivers.

Al Jasem said the agency has also started a project to train the trainers - driving instructors and examiners.

"We have already completed training of 50 per cent of driving examiners and the rest of them will be trained by June this year," he said.

He added that six phases of the training that had been completed had aimed to shortlist 60 examiners out of a total of 120.

Do you think driving simulators are just as good as driving? How helpful will it be in teaching learners how to drive safely? Do you think this initiative will help reduce the number of accidents?

This would be great for beginners but only for 2-3 days at the initial level becuase driving on these simulators is entirely different from real roads.
Harish M. V.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 14:14

I have already spent AED 8,000 on driving lessons and 5 road tests and have celebrated 2nd anniversary of holding a learner's license in UAE. Now, another reason for spending money to learn driving? In what way will this simulator help a learner in obtaining driving license?
Pachhu
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 13:53

It is sure going to complicate the situation as the simulator is not the real condition of driving also the driving exam is ideal condition of driving, which I think will both result in more fatal accidents.
Zia
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 13:47

My suggestion is that very important RTA has to give a proper training.
Alex
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 13:36

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this will actually enhance the standard of new drivers - this morning I witnessed a learner driver being taught to cut in on a standing line of traffic at a red signal - he went down the outside then stopped with his indicator on.
Darren
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 13:13

I believe that this is an extremely beneficial and safe move for both trainers and other travellers on the roads. I live in Al Qusais area which has two of the most popular driving institutes operating on this area. Effect? We have learners on the main roads all the times, jamming traffic due to their lack of experience driving on these roads and often causing accidents despite the trainers accompanying them. I myself was quite scared when asked to drive on the main road on the very first day of training, considering the fact that I had never even sat on the driver's seat of a vehicle before. Now, since the traffic in Dubai has more than doubled, this is a welcome move from RTA. I hope the simulation training if done for the first week at least will help the trainees get used to the concept of roads and driving in general while giving the trainer an idea about the driving aptitude of the trainee. Maybe RTA should make this facility available to trainees who have not driven before rather than make it a compulsory module for every trainee.
M. W.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 12:41

I don't think it will help a learner. I have tried this, I felt dizzy and almost made me to throw up. Driving on the real roads is a completetly different experience.
Noora
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 12:31

Would that bring down the training charges?
Rohan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 12:07

The simulators for driving lessons are available in Abu Dhabi or not? I am from Abu Dhabi and interested to get some training. Please!
Reena
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 12:06

It will definitely help, as in get the drivers some sort of idea before they are put on the roads. Especially when it comes to being nervous about driving all alone.
Marso Markose
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 11:23

Interesting idea but hardly new. As a Btitish expat, I learned to drive in Dubai in 1978, using a simulator. Probably not as high-tech as nowadays, but the same idea nonetheless.
Jackie
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 11:09

Driving on simulators is quite different from actual driving on the road. I feel this will further make getting license difficult for new drivers.
Mufiz
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 10:17

No, I do not think it will help in training, the actual feel and the road condition is totally different from the virtual training.
From A Reader
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 10:12

I have been driving my car in india from the last 7 years. I am very good in driving and follow all the rules and regulations. But still my long experience of driving is nill here in UAE. as i have to reclear all the tests here and i have to wait for more than a year to get that. But if such machines helps in obtaining license easily. it is very good for everyone.
Tarun Agarwal
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 10:03

this is very good step taken by RTA.....Why we cannot have such driving techniques in Sharjah? My friend got a driving date after 3 months....This is Insane..
Rahul
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 09:57

When I have already spent more than Dh8,000 to learn Driving from a Driving Instructor and yet failed 5 times, I don't know in what way this simulator would help. Actually I have lost faith in both the Driving Institute and the RTA Examiner.
Jeanette
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 09:41

I think its very useful. It reduces the road accidents as well as traffic. Congratulating RTA for their technological improvement.
Mohammad Jaseem
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 09:38

Yes it is infact a very good initaitive. It is very helpful to learners as well as drivers to bring to their notice their driving patterns, as the driver may sometimes be unawre of their driving habits. It will definitely reduce the number of accidents.
Anjum
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 09:17

its a very good idea to train the students first on simulators because it will help them improve on their practical training... this will get them idea how to react in real situations on the road.
Ghulam Nabi
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 09:13

A crystal clear no. It's always the drivers attitude, character and discipline on the Road that makes everything smooth and safe.
Jimmy Tenoria
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 09:00

Hypothetically, it may reduce the number of accidents but I think good driving habits, obeying traffic rules, awareness of road conditions and respect others lives are only way reduce the number of road accidents.
Noor Mohammad Y.
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 08:54

Perfect! Dubai is always ahead of what is required in future. This will help to tackle all the hazards of accidents on the roads. bravo RTA!
Shahzad Zafar
Ras Al Khaimah,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 08:52

Whatever new system they adopted, unless and until the ego and crazy driving habits of some drivers is not changed, accident level will continue to increase. Moreover, if the egoistic and predetermined behaviour of these "well trained" drivers is not changed, no major changes will happen. I was driving in my country for the last 20 years and so far drove more than 3,00,000 km without any accident, then I came and they failed me 7 times, without any valid reason.
Issac
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 08:45

Excellent move by the RTA. Another example of technology being put to innovative and good use. Above all I hope this makes the process of obtaining a license easier.
Sam Joy
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 08:26

I dont think it will help a lot to make learners drive safely because once some of them get a license they already forgot what they've learned from driving lesson. All they need is a road behaviour
Carlo
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 08:12

I was yesterday thinking of just this very thing as a necessity and I see this in today's newspaper. Excellent idea, and not a moment too soon either, considering the quality of driving that one sees hereabouts. I think licensing should be made a lot stricter than it is currently and there should be periodic reviews so that complacency doesn't set in.
D Ramapriya
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 08:10

This will definetly help reduce bottlenecks caused by beginner drivers. Simulators can boost the confidence of learners and it will ensure safety.
Navin
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 07:50

This idea is perfect since it will help the trainees to learn driving without taking any risks both for themselves and for the others on the road. I didn't see the simulator but hope it can also simulate some of the crazy driving habits in Dubai in order to teach the trainees to be cautious on the roads of UAE.
Volkan Sahinkaya
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 10, 2009, 07:18