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Driving simulators are progressively being used to train drivers all over the world. Work has shown that driving simulators are known to be excellent realistic and effective devices for delivering healthy driving safety for all drivers. Models are available for cars, vans, buses, etc. Due to safety issues, reduced operating costs, less stress during lessons for drivers and instructors, and shorter learning times, truck simulators are increasingly being used by training schools and fleets.

With the introduction of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS), demand has escalated for different features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic parking, collision avoidance system, blind-spot monitor, and lane departure warning system. All through the world, automotive companies are making advances in the above-mentioned technologies to eliminate possible failures, which may cause driver injury. Hence, manufacturers put ADAS systems to check on simulators, which in turn give them a practical view of the vehicle's performance as a whole. Driving simulators, therefore, support manufacturers of automobiles with pre-testing capabilities for device improvements.

What is a driving simulator?

Driving simulators are used for recreation as well as classroom driver training courses offered in public establishments and private companies. They are also used for scientific purposes in the area of human factors and medical science, for measuring driving behavior, performance, and focus, and for designing and evaluating new vehicles or innovative advanced driver assistance systems in the automotive industry.

Driving simulators are a crucial and essential part of driver training and education. It is as similar to the experience as possible with full-size replicas of the driver's cabin and a realistic virtual world. Simulators are good, practical, and efficient learning tools for all drivers to provide safe driving, training strategies, and skills.

Advantages of a driving simulator:

Training for critical and rare driving events

Even experienced drivers have very little exposure to dangerous incidents, such as tire blowouts, animals, or pedestrians crossing the road. Simulator training allows drivers to experience and gain greater expertise in a wider range of situations in a shorter span of time than conventional driver training should have been feasible. Simulators also promote regular preparation in emergency circumstances, e.g. every six months commercial pilots rehearse the required approach to critical incidents in flight simulators.

Increased cost-savings and safety

Learner drivers lack knowledge, expertise, and experience. Some of the learner drivers are often young males who may lack the experience required to make good driving decisions on a regular basis. Driving simulators allow learners to witness the effects of their actions in an unlimited range of driving scenarios without the possibility of material damage and injury.

Equivalent real-world experience will be prohibitively costly and risky. A well-designed and controlled driving simulator-based training curriculum will enhance vehicle performance, traffic awareness, hazard recognition, and decision-making without causing risky overconfidence.

Increased ability to apply proven pedagogical principles

Simulator training allows learners to switch from basic to complicated tasks at their speed. Self-paced learning reduces stress and facilitates better comprehension, acquisition, and transition of knowledge to the real world. Compared to traditional driver instruction, simulator instruction successfully provides greater quantity and consistency of training experiences over a given time period-allowing learners to replay the lessons they need to become competent drivers.

Repeated acts become routine or automatic. Automatic actions, often known as "muscle memory," are carried out easily and rapidly with little to no deliberate thinking, decreasing the mental workload of the driver and increasing his capacity to predict and prevent traffic disputes. In addition, open-cockpit driving simulators promote the implementation of validated pedagogical concepts such as simulations, community instruction, and peer coaching, all of which have been underused in the past due to the built-in drawbacks of conventional in-vehicle driver training.

Driving simulator for end-users:

Automotive

Automotive manufacturers increasingly use driving simulators and car simulators to refine the design and streamline the R&D cycle. Companies test each of the aforementioned vehicles in several situations, and each vehicle is tailored to the needs of specific customers. The mainstream design and development use of driving simulators has matured and is expected to produce steady demand by the end of the forecast period.

Aviation

Aviation (flight) training driving simulator is a flight simulator equipped for pilot ground instruction. Flight simulator recreates flight dynamics and aircraft control operation by way of different models integrated with the simulator computer system program. Pilot training on aviation simulators is one of the most critical factors for ensuring the health of aircraft operations. It minimizes the adverse effect of the so-called 'human factor,' i.e. minimizes the likelihood of wrong behavior taken by the crew.

Due to the advent of new technology, modern aviation training simulators have achieved such a degree of growth that pilot training on training simulators has been more effective than on actual aircraft. The point is that, in a real flight, the crew is forced to spend a lot of time performing routine operations that are not related to particular training activities.

Marine

A maritime simulator or ship simulator is a device that simulates ships and marine conditions for training, research, and other purposes. Currently, simulator training offered by maritime schools and academies is part of the basic training of maritime professionals.

At a minimum, the maritime simulator consists of a program that accurately simulates the complex actions of the vessel and its structures in a simulated maritime environment and an interface. This allows the user to use the simulator to monitor the vessel and communicate with its simulated world. In the case of so-called full mission bridge simulators, this design consists of a detailed mock-up of a vessel's bridge and control panels, and displays or projectors showing a 360-degree simulated view of the ship's surroundings comparable to flight simulators in the aviation industry.

To sum up

The driving simulator market growth is anticipated to rise at an exponential pace especially due to the growing focus on driver & passenger safety. According to the World Health Organization, for example, road traffic accidents result in nearly 1.35 million human losses per year. The driving simulator helps to mitigate the driving conditions shortfall by providing a driver with proper training. Vehicle manufacturers are continually using vehicle simulators to improve new vehicle performance while minimizing the time and expense needed to deliver a new design into the market.

Free Valuable Insights: Global Driving Simulator Market to reach a market size of USD 5.8 billion by 2026

In a competitive market, manufacturers like Jaguar Land Rover are actively trying to increase product quality and at the same time reducing costs and time to manufacturing. There is an ever-increasing focus on computer simulations and vehicle simulation, right along the process of product development.