Simulators are pieces of technical equipment, which can be utilised for research, development, and for basic or advanced drivers’ training. The purpose of simulators is to reproduce traffic situations as realistically as needed. Their advantage is the possibility of replicating real-life hazardous situations without the actual danger being present and practising how to avoid or solve these.
Simulators can be tailor-made for different vehicle types, driving tasks, and levels of driving skill, for example:
- moped and motorcycle simulator;
- passenger car, light-duty van and light-duty truck simulator;
- bus or heavy-duty truck simulator;
- simulators for other vehicles (forklifts, mobile cranes, etc.);
- simulators for ambulance, police or fire department vehicles.
The traffic situations and their progressions should be shown from the driver’s point-of-view, from a distance that is sufficient for the necessary reactions to be performed and all of the above should be as realistic as possible.
The vehicle simulations in use during the drivers’ training can be divided into three main groups based on their configuration: high-, mid-, and low-end simulators. The separate groups comprise different hardware and different levels of software complexity. Naturally, the more realistic the simulated environment, the more complex the underlying software and higher the price of the equipment.