Our new SKIDJeep and Mobile Driver Training Program vehicle!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
MDTP - May Events
After many months of preparation, our SKIDCAR SYSTEM SkidJeep was unveiled this month for the first official presentation of our Mobile Driver Training Program during the Fire-Rescue Med Conference in Las Vegas.
Now utilizing a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with up to date Electronic Stability and Traction Control programs, we began our demonstration/training using the less intrusive ESC setting which disengaged traction control and limited ESC engagement until seriously inducing a front or rear wheel skid. With unwise use of the steering or throttle, the Jeep could still be spun out regardless of the ESC engagement. It was very realistic, and continued to be uncontrollable within the lane of travel when the student used the vehicle controls unwisely.
Following FRM, the SkidJeep was taken to Boulder City for an instructor training rally hosted by Nevada POOL/PACT. The Instructor class began with a Crown Vic with only ABS working. The initial training contained components of recognizing different types of skids, regaining control after mistakes made, and then avoiding them altogether. One of the components of a great SKIDCAR instructor is they must know just as much about how skids are made and skidding, as how to avoid them.
Crossing over to the Jeep, we used the ESC in two modes in 2 wheel drive. We then used 4 wheel drive without ESC. We found that ESC has become another electronic instructor as it is instantaneous in response to a dynamic problem the driver has made. Frustration abounded as there now were few burnouts, fewer out of control spins, and much anxiety brought on by the ESC intrusion into their driving mistakes. A very interesting new component to the instructor training was the exploration of how ESC works, how it is activated and how the driver can “feed” grip to the vehicle to help the ESC gain back control. At the end of the week and with final testing executed, all the instructors were driving outside the ESC system and functioning at the same lap times as a good driver would have driving a car without ESC.
At both events, we concluded that with ESC a number of positive actions were taken. The drivers learned faster as they did not have the time needed to "FEEL" what the car was doing and learn corrective action from the instructor first. ESC did this for them. This allowed us to spend more time working on “the Big Three“ components for good driving; use of sight, shuffle steering, and braking concepts used for stability. Because they were not taking the time to skid so much and then recover, what we (the Instructor Team) had to do was simply guide the driver to the right way to drive and then the ESC would not engage. Ultimately, we still arrived at the same destination with a driver who recognized Grip, and Slip, and what they did as a driver to cause the loss of stability.
Following a very short time behind the wheel we realized positive results, which in past lessons took much more time to accomplish. A savings of time extrapolates to huge savings in the funds necessary for labor, student time, and equipment cost and maintenance during training sessions.
For our component of driver training, we think the future is here.
Now utilizing a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with up to date Electronic Stability and Traction Control programs, we began our demonstration/training using the less intrusive ESC setting which disengaged traction control and limited ESC engagement until seriously inducing a front or rear wheel skid. With unwise use of the steering or throttle, the Jeep could still be spun out regardless of the ESC engagement. It was very realistic, and continued to be uncontrollable within the lane of travel when the student used the vehicle controls unwisely.
Following FRM, the SkidJeep was taken to Boulder City for an instructor training rally hosted by Nevada POOL/PACT. The Instructor class began with a Crown Vic with only ABS working. The initial training contained components of recognizing different types of skids, regaining control after mistakes made, and then avoiding them altogether. One of the components of a great SKIDCAR instructor is they must know just as much about how skids are made and skidding, as how to avoid them.
Crossing over to the Jeep, we used the ESC in two modes in 2 wheel drive. We then used 4 wheel drive without ESC. We found that ESC has become another electronic instructor as it is instantaneous in response to a dynamic problem the driver has made. Frustration abounded as there now were few burnouts, fewer out of control spins, and much anxiety brought on by the ESC intrusion into their driving mistakes. A very interesting new component to the instructor training was the exploration of how ESC works, how it is activated and how the driver can “feed” grip to the vehicle to help the ESC gain back control. At the end of the week and with final testing executed, all the instructors were driving outside the ESC system and functioning at the same lap times as a good driver would have driving a car without ESC.
At both events, we concluded that with ESC a number of positive actions were taken. The drivers learned faster as they did not have the time needed to "FEEL" what the car was doing and learn corrective action from the instructor first. ESC did this for them. This allowed us to spend more time working on “the Big Three“ components for good driving; use of sight, shuffle steering, and braking concepts used for stability. Because they were not taking the time to skid so much and then recover, what we (the Instructor Team) had to do was simply guide the driver to the right way to drive and then the ESC would not engage. Ultimately, we still arrived at the same destination with a driver who recognized Grip, and Slip, and what they did as a driver to cause the loss of stability.
Following a very short time behind the wheel we realized positive results, which in past lessons took much more time to accomplish. A savings of time extrapolates to huge savings in the funds necessary for labor, student time, and equipment cost and maintenance during training sessions.
For our component of driver training, we think the future is here.
Friday, April 22, 2011
SKIDCAR Deliveries
Over the past few months, several new SKIDCARs have been delivered for use in driver training for a variety of personnel. We would like to welcome the below agencies/businesses to the SKIDCAR family:
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Academy – California
Pennsylvania State Police – Pennsylvania
Luzerne County Community College Regional Public Safety Training Institute – Pennsylvania
Maxwell Driving School – Tennessee
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Academy – California
Pennsylvania State Police – Pennsylvania
Luzerne County Community College Regional Public Safety Training Institute – Pennsylvania
Maxwell Driving School – Tennessee
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Upcoming Events - Fire-Rescue Med
Fire-Rescue Med: May 9-13, Las Vegas
We will be presenting a demonstration of our SKIDCAR SYSTEM Mobile Driver Training Program in the parking lot of The Orleans Hotel which is the host property.
The MDTP is a practical solution to small, rural, or any department which lacks the budget or space to sustain a full-time driver training program. It also offers an unprecedented opportunity to introduce your drivers to Electronic Stability Control systems, how they work, and how best to drive with instead of against them. SKIDCAR System, Inc. provides all equipment and materials necessary including use of a Type A SKIDCAR SYSTEM, vehicle, and curriculum taught by a Certified Instructor. If there is an existing driver training program in place, we are able to work with your current instructors to incorporate the SKIDCAR into your approved curriculum, or a custom program can be designed to meet your needs.
Please let us know if you will be attending FRM and would like the opportunity to experience the SKIDCAR for yourself by contacting us at info@skidcar.com.
Find out more about FRM 2011 by visiting their website at http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/iafc/frm11/public/enter.aspx. We look forward to seeing you there!
We will be presenting a demonstration of our SKIDCAR SYSTEM Mobile Driver Training Program in the parking lot of The Orleans Hotel which is the host property.
The MDTP is a practical solution to small, rural, or any department which lacks the budget or space to sustain a full-time driver training program. It also offers an unprecedented opportunity to introduce your drivers to Electronic Stability Control systems, how they work, and how best to drive with instead of against them. SKIDCAR System, Inc. provides all equipment and materials necessary including use of a Type A SKIDCAR SYSTEM, vehicle, and curriculum taught by a Certified Instructor. If there is an existing driver training program in place, we are able to work with your current instructors to incorporate the SKIDCAR into your approved curriculum, or a custom program can be designed to meet your needs.
Please let us know if you will be attending FRM and would like the opportunity to experience the SKIDCAR for yourself by contacting us at info@skidcar.com.
Find out more about FRM 2011 by visiting their website at http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/iafc/frm11/public/enter.aspx. We look forward to seeing you there!
Upcoming Events - ILEETA
ILEETA: April 11-16, Chicago
Dane Pitarresi, President of SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc., will be participating in a round table discussion chaired by Travis Yates during the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association Conference in Chicago, IL.
Captain Travis Yates is a Team Leader with the Tulsa Police Precision Driver Training Unit and is a nationally recognized driving instructor. He also moderates www.policedriving.com, a website dedicated to law enforcement driving issues.
Our presence as a representative of a component of future driver training curriculum adds importance to the need for innovative thinking regarding training in a modern EVOC environment. New technologies, new training philosophies, and new curriculum strategies will be discussed. We are proud to be working together with Captain Yates to bring attention to this critical topic.
More information about ILEETA can be found online at http://www.ileeta.org/conference-general-info.php
Dane Pitarresi, President of SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc., will be participating in a round table discussion chaired by Travis Yates during the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association Conference in Chicago, IL.
Captain Travis Yates is a Team Leader with the Tulsa Police Precision Driver Training Unit and is a nationally recognized driving instructor. He also moderates www.policedriving.com, a website dedicated to law enforcement driving issues.
Our presence as a representative of a component of future driver training curriculum adds importance to the need for innovative thinking regarding training in a modern EVOC environment. New technologies, new training philosophies, and new curriculum strategies will be discussed. We are proud to be working together with Captain Yates to bring attention to this critical topic.
More information about ILEETA can be found online at http://www.ileeta.org/conference-general-info.php
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.
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.
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.
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