TEST
A simulator to learn to drive. In order to reduce an often high bill, the government is banking on technology. Each student can now spend up to 10 hours - against 5 currently - in the 20 hours of compulsory training. But what are the benefits of the method really? Europe 1 decided to check, by going to a driving school in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.
The same equipment as in a car
Although I have held a driving license for several years, have all my points and drive quite regularly, put back in a driving school is resurrecting some bad memories. In my youth, I had indeed had to go back four times to get the precious sesame, and the first hours of driving had been somewhat tumultuous. But that time seems to be over. Everything should be fine ...
In the back room, the beast is there. Three computer screens pop out of the dark to face an automobile seat. Everything is there: the steering wheel and its two joysticks, the gear lever, the handbrake, the three pedals and even the key on the contact ... All that's missing is the doors and the car radio. And again, the software used here is not the most sophisticated ... Some now use virtual reality headsets for further immersion. For others, the realism is such that the seat vibrates while driving.
A good tool to take your first steps
Here we are. After carefully attaching my belt, I decided to start with the fundamentals. Choose between knowing the main controls of the vehicle, holding and turning the steering wheel, starting and stopping ... This is the last option I choose, even opting for a hill start.
Guided step by step by the oral instructions of the machine, I start the engine ... "You made a mistake" ... Well then. "Pass the first gear ... You made a mistake". "Unlock the parking brake without loosening it ... you have made more than two mistakes, start over again". Here I am, in just a few seconds, reminded of my bad driving habits. "It's normal," slips the instructor present behind me, in a tone betraying compassion.
I have a valid excuse for me: the pedals do not really feel the same as in the car, both in terms of braking and acceleration. As for the clutch, the skating point is simply symbolized by a small gauge located on the dashboard, visible on the screen.
It must be admitted that the device is aimed here at novice drivers. In this, it allows them to become familiar with the basics of practice: having a steering wheel in the hands, control mirrors, blind spots, pay attention to signs, prohibitions. So many skills acquired before even taking the road for good. What alleviate stress in some candidates.
Not so real sensations
But the experience does not stop there. After having managed my hill climb, I opt for another mode, in town this time, where interactions with other vehicles are more frequent. "You're never going to get there," the instructor whispered to me, whose compassion has obviously disappeared. It is not wrong ... If the sound of the engine is realistic enough, the steering wheel offers very little resistance and the software is more like a video game than a ride in built-up areas. I forget to even trigger my flashing and adjust my gear ... I will not take it back.
In terms of safety distances, on the other hand, it's another matter ... Especially since the feeling of speed is obviously much more difficult to evaluate than usual. Only the landscape that scrolls allows to realize it. In front of me, at the exit of a crossroads, the bus stops abruptly on the aisle. This is the accident. My very first in my life as a driver. Fortunately, the simulator makes it possible to return to a situation to analyze the errors made. And try again.
A wide range of situations
The application also offers a wide variety of parameters. Light commercial vehicle, 20m3 ... Besides the choice of vehicle, it is possible to opt for driving in town, road or highway, but also to determine the weather conditions (good weather, fog, rain, snow, night ...) ). The simulator also makes it possible to create all sorts of situations, from the pedestrians who tumble to the scooter who grid a priority. Circumstances that do not necessarily present themselves during the training.
Not scalded by my previous accident, so I choose an exercise in town, at night, under the snow, with a pedestrian about to cross. It's gone: first intersection, nothing. Second, third, nothing either. In the fourth, a poorly parked truck obstructs my view. This is the moment that a woman chooses to engage with her stroller on the pedestrian crossing ... And here is the tragedy.
The sentence is undeniable, and the computer is there to remind me. Every mistake is recorded, from the bad management of the lights to the accident, while passing by the excess of speed, the non-respect of the distances of security, the bad position on the roadway, the refusal of priority ...
Traumatized, it is on foot that I leave the driving school, hurry to reassure me on my level of driving. This experience has taught me that a simulator will never replace a car.