Driving simulator hones Washoe officers' skills

RENO - A new driving simulator will help Washoe County law officers and others to hone their emergency driving skills, Sheriff Dennis Balaam said.

Balaam showed off the $98,000 PatrolSim III on Tuesday at the Regional Public Safety Training Center.

"We've had driving training for years, but we were missing the hands-on training before we put people in testing scenarios," he said. "Now they can see the consequences of mistakes without any injury or damage to vehicles."

The simulator will be used by law enforcement and fire personnel, as well as ambulance drivers and government workers. Classes with the machine also will be offered to some in the private sector, such as delivery drivers and teenagers.

Officials praised the simulator's computer generated environments for providing real-time driving situations in a controlled setting.

Trainers can immediately correct the driver and then review a replay of that scenario on a laptop computer.

The focus is on decision-making, driving attitude and department policy.

Scenarios include inclement weather, nighttime conditions, pedestrians and vehicles that suddenly enter the road. The three plasma screens portray the environment in real time.