This gives the student the very real sensation of impact risk and near-misses without the reality of the danger. This visual risk, in turn, is quite effective in teaching a critical aspect of the SkidCar training. The driver must be taught to look where he wants the car to go and not at the obstacle he is about to impact. What makes this realism possible is the low actual vehicle speeds and the safety and risk-avoidance that comes from low speed training. According to the Virginia Division of Training and Standards, the most common driver errors are too much throttle, braking too much, steering too much, being too rough or aggressive with the vehicle and the improper use of the eyes while driving.
Most drivers fail to look in the right direction during a skid or far enough ahead while driving.
The SkidCar gives an immediate feedback to all of these faults. It will spin like a top if driven wrong, or instantly recover from a near-guardrail experience if the driver simply shifts his eyes to where he wants the car to go. Ed Sanow is a reserve corporal with the Benton County, Indiana, Sheriff's Department and is a regular contributor to Law Enforcement Technology. SkidCar Systems Inc. More than 100 of the units are being used by police agencies across the nation, he said. Virginia is installing one in each of its regional police academies.