Free Drivers’ Ed Game Teaches Safe Habits
Anybody old enough to remember those drivers ed simulators in the trailers? These things would sit in high school parking lots across America, and countless teens drove down “video lanes” to gain experience before getting behind a real wheel. (Alas, I missed out on the video drivers’ ed simulators. We started behind the real wheel with a very nervous instructor who I recall being heavy on her passenger-side brake.)
Last summer I blogged about a German study researching whether race car simulations lead players to drive more aggressively. Now comes word that Chrysler has sponsored development of a youth-oriented driver training videogame to promote safe driving.
The Road Ready Teens program is designed to help with the transition from book study to actual driving. It represents part of a safe driving push by Chrysler.
The free video game is one part of the program. The game assimilates situations on the road from driving under the influence to driving in the rain.
“Your cell phone will ring and you get points deducted if you take it while you’re driving,” said Marshall Taliaferro [Marshall’s father, Will Taliaferro, is one of the game’s designers]. “I don’t answer the phone while I’m driving either.”
The program also provides an online driving contract for the family to agree upon.
It’s a good idea, and absolutely brilliant to present the concepts within a videogame, which is called Road Ready Streetwise. Here’s the key quote from Chrysler:
“Those first years on the road are very stressful for parents and teens because they don’t know what to do. They don’t know the right and wrong,” said Kristen Kreibich-Staruch of Chrysler Vehicle Safety and Planning.
Access the safety program and find a link to the game over at roadreadyteens.com.
References:
Video game teaches teens to drive. (2008, February 27). NBC4.com. [Online.] Retrieved February 27, 2008 from http://www.nbc4.com/traffic/15422534/detail.html
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March 1, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Thank you for posting this - I recently learned that one of the best ways to teach a teenager to drive is to think aloud when driving with your teenager in the car. It is supposed to help them to develop better awareness of hazards and learn from your expertise.
March 2, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I agree that thinking about what we’re doing behind the wheel is an important skill. Perhaps this game is a good way to instill the habit.
JR
March 3, 2008 at 5:14 am
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March 17, 2008 at 5:40 am
What a decent concept. Teens love video games. We have a free traffic/road sign test on my companies website which helps in driver’s ed but not nearly as fun as a video game. We’re concerned that 1 out of 3 people fail our simple road sign test. We have a high percentage of people who believe it’s OK to drive the maximum posted speed limit even in bad weather conditions. More education is needed.
MA
March 26, 2008 at 7:13 am
[...] Anybody old enough to remember those drivers ed simulators in the trailers? These things would sit in high school parking lots across America during summers, and countless teens drove down video lanes to gain experience before getting behind a real wheel. (Alas, I missed out on the video drivers ed simulators. We started behind the real wheel with a very nervous instructor who I recall being heavy on her passenger-side brake.) Last summer I blogged about a German study researching whether source: Free Drivers Ed Game Teaches Safe Habits [...]
March 26, 2008 at 3:31 pm
This i sa great website. I think you should put on more games that will help people learn how to drive.
April 1, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Thanks for all the great information…
April 17, 2008 at 2:38 pm
My owner took driver’s ed in high school in 1973 and he said they had those trailer simulators. Best fun he ever had. The kid behind him always sped up when he saw a pedestrian crossing the street on the film. His console always lit up like a pinball machine!