Skip to main content

Babcock launched prototype driving simulator for emergency services

A driving simulator designed to improve safety at speed for all emergency service vehicle drivers has been launched by Babcock International. Whilst the prototype has been created to mimic a standard fire engine, Babcock believes the concept can be adapted to train the drivers of any emergency response vehicle. The simulator features a 200° wraparound screen with modifiable seat and controls, while its software is programmed with 270km (167 miles) of multi-terrain routes including urban, city and rura
April 19, 2016 Read time: 1 min
A driving simulator designed to improve safety at speed for all emergency service vehicle drivers has been launched by 8412 Babcock International.

Whilst the prototype has been created to mimic a standard fire engine, Babcock believes the concept can be adapted to train the drivers of any emergency response vehicle.

The simulator features a 200° wraparound screen with modifiable seat and controls, while its software is programmed with 270km (167 miles) of multi-terrain routes including urban, city and rural scenarios. The software can be modified for both left and right-hand drive and is responsive to real life traffic distractions.

The concept will be used to support traditional driver training already carried out by the emergency services, but as it takes place inside and not on the road, it will be done in a safe and hazard-free environment.

Related Content

  • January 23, 2012
    Tunnel simulators vital for real world tunnel management
    Guillaume Ponsar, tunnel safety engineer with Egis Road Operation, writes about the advantages to be gained from the use of tunnel simulators. Major tunnel disasters over the last decade and more have shown how swiftly and badly a simple crash or fire may evolve should the wrong actions be taken by control room operators or traffic managers. Global safety issues and the reactions of operations staff have now become the principal concerns for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) service providers. As a result, n
  • April 20, 2017
    Increased automation is already improving road safety
    Richard Cuerden considers how many of the technologies developed as part of a move toward autonomous vehicles are already being deployed as ADAS improve road safety. The drive to create autonomous vehicles has caused a re-evaluation of what is needed to safely navigate today’s roads and the development of systems that can replace the driver in many scenarios. However, many manufacturers are not waiting for ‘tomorrow’ and are already incorporating these systems in their new cars as Advanced Driver Assistanc
  • July 24, 2012
    Driving forward cooperative intersection safety applications
    Gregory Davis, FHWA, John Harding, NHTSA, and Mike Schagrin, ITS Joint Program Office (RITA) chart the course for cooperative intersection safety applications being pursued as part of the IntelliDrive programme. Crashes at intersections accounted for 8,703 highway fatalities in the US in 2008. Research and development is moving forward on IntelliDriveSM safety applications designed to help drivers avoid intersection accidents. These new safety systems could substantially drive down the highway death and inj
  • March 14, 2012
    Automatic signal control to prevent emergency vehicle collisions?
    Field trials under way in Arizona promise eradication of accidents between emergency vehicles at intersections – as part of a national focus on ‘intelligent signal’ infrastructure. Collisions between police cars, ambulances and fire crews as they reach intersections at the same time, with equal priority given by all signals set on red, are as serious as they sound absurd. For emergency teams and those in need of their help, the consequences are dire. The solution could come from application of connected veh