A high-tech driver training program aimed at reducing traffic accidents among young drivers will make its way to Kaua’i this summer. The program, the first of its kind in Hawai’i, employs the same simulator-based technology that is used to train
A high-tech driver training program aimed at reducing traffic accidents among young drivers will make its way to Kaua’i this summer.
The program, the first of its kind in Hawai’i, employs the same simulator-based technology that is used to train military and commercial airline pilots, and transforms the old driver education process to a behavioral and skills training program.
YMCA of Honolulu, Drive Save Hawai’i and KQ Corp. of Salt Lake City, Utah have brought the program to Hawai’i.
Hawai’i youths who go through the program will drive with more caution and confidence, reducing the risk for accidents, predicted Gary Au of Drive Safe Hawai’i, an O’ahu-based driving school.
“We are proud to be a partner of a program that is setting a standard for the rest of the nation to follow,” said Don Anderson, president of YWCA of Honolulu.
Au said that while students can derive the same benefits from driver training classes offered at public schools in Hawai’i, the students who go through the new training will have an edge, because they will be put through a slew of simulated driving situations that will sharpen their driving skills.
Using high-fidelity, interactive simulation technology with high-definition colors, the system employs scenarios to allow drivers to master new driving concepts and improve their motoring skills before moving on to more advanced driving situations.
Five 24-inch monitors surround the driver with a 180-degree frontal view, as well as scenes in rear-and-side-view mirrors.
The simulator cab is modeled after the interior of a vehicle. It includes safety belts, a dashboard with instrumentation, steering and brake controls and an audio system that produces real-life sound such as brake squeals and sirens, plus high-frequency road vibrations.
The machinery is controlled by six computers.
During the driving, audio commands and on-screen visual messages provide feedback to the driver.
“The simulator is good for eliminating and minimizing risks,” Au said. “We are able to make corrections right on the spot.”
Thirty years ago, driving experts concluded that use of a simulator for driver training would help drivers develop proper driving skills, according to Kevin Curtis, president of KQ Corp.
Similar simulator systems are used by students elsewhere in the United States, but the system that will be used in Hawai’i is the “next generation,” Au said.
The service is being offered in the wake of a new Hawai’i law that went into effect this year requiring new drivers under the age of 18 to complete a driver education program, certified by the state Department of Transportation, before they can apply for their driver’s license.
The training is not cheap. The Y Primedriver Training Program, which meets the state-certified requirements for drive education, cost $600.
The cost covers 30 hours of in-class instructions, six hours of behind-the-wheel instructions and 50 hours of on-the-road practice driving (40 days and 10 nights) with a parent or licensed driver.
When the state Department of Transportation looked to develop the criteria for the driving program, the agency invited KQ to bring the simulator to Hawai’i. The system was tested last summer and was approved by the DOT, Au said.
The program started at the Nu’uanu YMCA Jan. 22, with a pilot class of 16 students in two sessions.
Simulators are expected to be brought to YMCAs on other islands beginning in April.
To assist economically disadvantaged students, KQ is donating one scholarship per class — equivalent to $75,000 in scholarship funds this year — for students who meet financial aid requirements of YMCA. Additional information is available from YMCA at 541-5250.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
