Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Using Racing Drivers to Teach Driver Safety - Part 2

(To see Part 1 of this series, check the January 2011 blog archive.)

In the last segment, I spoke of the study that we were a part of in the early 90’s. The study results showed crash reduction rates at night and in inclement weather, as well as a reduction in rear end collisions following the training. On the other hand, several male students used the physical skills information unwisely and raised the general crash rate for the group. (They now are probably either professional drift competitors or in jail somewhere…)

The crash categories which showed reductions came about because the drivers were THINKING properly. The results that were not as positive motivated us to look for better ways to use our product.

In the 20 years since that study, we have continued to reevaluate our driver training curriculum and physical use of the SKIDCAR, always in search of the most efficient training methods to produce safer drivers. I have to make a very deliberate statement that we NO LONGER train with a predominantly physical SKILL SET. The cognitive side of loss of control and avoidance issues has become a priority. Using the physical experience to validate what the driver has done wrong, builds a confidence in respect to enabling humbled drivers to be more careful in the end.

After being in the Vehicle Control business for over 20 years I can tell you that the message (cognitive) that has come along with the physical exercise (skidding) is one that can either be misinterpreted (student) or misrepresented (instructor), or not part of what the curriculum had intended at all. Be it a Race Driver, Law Enforcement Officer, Firefighter, or an 18 year old MSgt in the Air Force that has become the new driver training Sergeant, you have to know, understand, and deliver what your outcomes demand of your curriculum. Ultimately, you need professional communicators.

So what should we be communicating? Check back for Part 3 on the curriculum argument of skills versus insight. In the meantime, leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mobile Driver Training Program Course Structure

At SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc. we are constantly upgrading our curriculum and physical use of the SKIDCAR™. Over the years we have found that an elemental understanding of the cognitive learning process, which leads to better decision-making behind the wheel, has been proven to be the most important aspect of driver, passenger, and public safety in America.

Aimed at the practical goal of better thinking while operating a motor vehicle, we have designed three driving programs. Each satisfy the need for increased cognitive comprehension and offer solutions to common problems facing drivers in North America and abroad.

Our Mobile Driver Training Programs featuring SKIDCAR are an example of modern use of the “better thinking driver training course.” Our Internationally accepted SKIDCAR SYSTEM learning elements are employed in all courses delivered.

The foundation of understanding comes from known fundamental flaws that modern drivers face. Many of today’s driver training courses are based in learning the physical skills necessary to pass individual exercise requirements. These sessions lack influence in student understanding of basic vehicle dynamics, the personal attention needed to maintain control, and a larger understanding of what the driver does to cause loss of control events.

SKIDCAR SYSTEM courses enforce three centers of Driving Program Priority:

1. Use of thought process and vision in personal risk assessment and avoidance. Our goal is to convey to students how vision (use of sight) can lower risk and lengthen the time available to make proper decisions while controlling a vehicle. Looking where you want to go is a simple rule to understand. Whether it is driving to work, operating in inclement weather, or within an emergency response environment, sight is the only window where information can be found and decisions made. But for today’s driver it is a very difficult element to master without understanding its importance. Mobile phones, information devices, vehicle GPS, and entertainment systems all fragment attention and take the sense of sight away from the driving task. Personal elements of anxiety, frustration, and psychomotor operational skill further diminish sight and thought process when confronted with extraordinary events. The only reliable way of demonstrating the importance of thinking properly in such situations, is allowing the student to personally experience the process that exists. In very short periods of time we can successfully immerse students into a driving environment where critical thinking is key to safety, control, and completion of the course.

2. Over-use and misuse of the steering wheel are common mistakes made by today’s drivers. During events that require immediate response, most drivers overreact with over-use of the steering wheel. Alarming components to single or multicar accidents are: the common occurrence for drivers to be surprised (through lack of attention), overreact mentally, and then over use the controls of the vehicle. A driving program utilizing the SKIDCAR can teach the practicality of always paying attention and the ease and confidence of learning to use the controls less. These points can make most all drivers both safer and more ECO-efficient.

3. Proper use of the braking system is always easily demonstrated in the SKIDCAR. We combine the design philosophy of 21st Century Electronic Stability Controls with practical application of standard ABS common to almost every vehicle today. It is standard in every MDTP to practice and gain proper braking use through actual first hand experience.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is used to start every MDTP. The student behind the wheel of the SKIDCAR gets several laps through a coned course to become comfortable with the course and operating the vehicle in a low speed slippery environment. As the course progresses, the student is exposed to mistakes that could cause loss of control. Through these miscalculations the ESC activates and automatically corrects the mistakes of the driver. Through this electronic correction the driver is coached to drive so the ESC does not activate. Once confidence has been gained to drive technically correct, the ESC is turned off and the driver is exposed to maintaining control through his or her own expertise with thinking clearly and correctly operating the vehicle. This structured learning environment allows for the driver to learn precisely what causes loss of control, and stimulates the personal goal of safety in all driving environments.