Date:09/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010910790400.htm

New Delhi

Test your driving skills at Auto Expo

Staff Reporter

Maruti to install specially designed French simulators

NEW DELHI: The forthcoming Auto Expo at Pragati Maidan will give Delhiites a unique opportunity to test their driving skills. For the first time in the biennial event that starts on January 12, India's leading car manufacturer -- Maruti Udyog Limited -- has decided to install specially designed eight French simulator consoles.

"Visitors at Maruti stalls will get an opportunity to get their driving skills evaluated after a three-minute `virtual test' drive on these simulators. At the end of the test, drivers will get an instant evaluation report besides providing much needed guidance to erring drivers. This approach has proved very effective globally as it provides interaction between a vehicle, its driver and driving problems without any casualty to the life and car," said a senior Maruti executive.

Simulators are machines that create (simulate) normal road driving conditions in classrooms, and those being installed at the international exhibition in the Capital are customised for Indian road conditions. In developed countries the normal practice of learning driving begins with learners first getting the idea of road usage on simulators.

In fact, simulators are an elaborate computer system complete with customised software used to create virtual reality situations. The machine simulates real life road conditions that acclimatise the user to the controls of the car and the actual road conditions before he moves on to the actual vehicle. It assist in enhancing judgment, decision making and operational skills besides providing training to drive in various weather and lighting conditions besides uphill and downhill driving.

Significantly, the first ever death reported by traffic accident was way back in 1896 and things have never been the same again.