Testing people for driving skill.

[Epidemic]

Do you think they could use existing technology to simulate real world driving skill. Something on the order of a high end driving simulator. One which simulates hydroplaning, stop sign runners, balls bouncing in the street between parked cars...

[Gomer]

$$ ep

[Mike]

Don't we have some what accurate flight simulators? It'd be neat but I would prefer to be out on the road really doing it.
It's really different from sitting in some office doing something and out driving.

Personally I would prefer that Drivers Ed. students go out and actually drive the car with other people, obstacles, etc.

[Telexen]

1. WAY too much money
2. I'm not sure it could be that accurate

Maybe driving tests ought to be given more often. I'm not sure what's required there...obviously you have to pass a course which includes X hours of driving (it's 6 here in Idaho)...but maybe that test should be mandatory for anyone wanting to renew their lisence? ... though that would be a pain...and those drives are hardly skill testing.

I don't think it would work. The social situation of actual driving would be too different to a simulator, I would think.

Maybe when social conventions have changed so much that only the immediate surroundings impinge upon a driver would it work.

Cheers
Mick

[Epidemic]

Well as far as accuracy
1) It could prove reaction time beyond a shadow of a doubt.
2) it could also test vision spotting a threat

In a simulator you can whip in different scenarios

As far as people avoiding situations perhaps the license should be graduated. Rain, Snow, day, night, Hwy, residential, rural, City. For your license you could choose any of the categories and be tested on them. The color coded licenses would be placed in your window.

[ShawnD1]

Absolutely not, it would never work. Driving is one thing that is not systematic to most people and is probably one of the biggest ever supporters for the chaos theory. A machine just can't simulate real life driving experience, it just can't.

Secondary reason is money, those flight simulators which you speak of cost half a million dollars each and can only take 1 person at a time.

[Epidemic]

Those flight sims do have a few more axis movements to make as well as dealing with wind sheer and such. Your chaos theory is kinda off base as well. In NJ your road test is done in a parking lot (well not a parking lot a course.) The road test is does not test real world scenarios either. 1% of people might have to display a real defensive measure during the whole test. Most driving tests test under ideal conditions as most of the time people are not making serious mistakes. Where a simulator would be beneficial even with a modified PC racing game is in the ability to test scenarios which happen in real life but only 10 or 15 times in a driving carreer. Those 10 or 15 instances will actually be the few life threatening events which either end horribly or well. Where prediction, reflexes, defensive preparation, all come together. 10, 20, 30 minute drive test with time wasted on things like parallel parking (valuable tool but not a safety issue.)

The current drive test tests the absolute basics of driving right turn, left turn, stop, merge, park and basic defensive driving ( in the few minutes exposed to traffic)

[MatrixmaN]

Have you seen what modern day graphics cards can do?

It wouldn't cost as much as you'd think really.

Pop in the latest and greatest of cards, cracnk up the graphics, and of course program a sweet physics engine....dont forget to make the seats virbrate and shake =D

Not as easy as that but basically so.

[Epidemic]

I would say for the cost of replacing all those government workers who absorb 50 to 60 thousand bucks a year before benefits, you could build a decent system for two years salary each. . Depending on how elaborate you want to get it is that easy. 6 monitors (rear view mirror), left / right, mirrors and two windows and a windshield. I would say given a contract to build these things nation wide Say 10,000 units I could do it all including software for ummmm let see (10,000 means that 20 people per day over four year re license period is 297,000,000 people) now that sounds bout right. Top of the line PC 3,000 bucks, a couple million to re-engineer software and license it from source coder. I would do it for 9,000 a unit with 300 dollar per year licensing fee which buys free upgrades every 2 years on software.