Extreme weather is on the rise in terms of frequency, intensity, and sudden onset. Storm systems are now bringing more intense periods of rain with increased rainfall per hour. According to Climate Central, “Across the U.S., 136 of 150 locations analyzed … have experienced increasing hourly rainfall intensity. People, ecosystems, and infrastructure in both wet and dry locations face the risks of short bursts of extreme rainfall.”

Among the challenges caused by this sort of short-duration/high-intensity rainfall are increasingly perilous roadway travel conditions. Rain reduces visibility while also reducing vehicle traction on pavement and maneuverability. Some of these factors tend to slow down traffic, which comes with its own host of issues: reduced roadway capacity, delays, and driver frustration. According to the US Department of Transportation, at least 75 percent of all weather-related traffic crashes happen on wet pavements, and almost half occur during rainfall. These crashes lead to nearly 6,000 fatalities per year and cause more than 500,000 injuries. As the trend of sudden, intense storms continue to arise, so will the associated hazards.

Transit Operators must be prepared to handle increasingly difficult and difficult-to-predict travel conditions. Simulation-based training excels at preparing drivers for such conditions.

“In the real world, we can’t schedule the rain,” FAAC Transportation Business Manager Jason Francisco points out. “And we certainly can’t put a trainee in a transit bus or motor coach and send them out onto the freeway in a zero-visibility, monsoon-like surge to get a feel for those conditions.  Applying the brakes too hard could easily lead to disaster in that situation. What we can do, with the help of immersive simulation, is prepare Operators for that scenario so that their first instinct is the right choice.”

Using Sims to Prepare Transit Operators for Intense Driving Conditions

With FAAC simulator training, the instructor controls specific variables to simulate extreme weather scenarios and dicey road conditions, including reducing traction and visibility and increasing precipitation intensity. Driving simulators can include additional hazards like debris, erratic drivers, distracted pedestrians, and swerving cyclists. During training sessions, instructors can build scenarios around these extreme conditions or drop in hazardous elements on the fly.

“For example,” Jason explains, “you can have a scenario where an intense thunderstorm suddenly begins. Rain is lashing at the windshield, visibility is terrible, and the roadway traction is reduced to simulate the impact of rain on the pavement. They should respond by driving a bit safer, as they feel that there is an unexpected change in how the vehicle responds. But suppose the Operator seems a little too aggressive in those conditions. In that case, the instructor can back out the traction, further simulating what you might experience as water piles up in a dip under an overpass.  The instructor could even have a vehicle in the adjacent lane cut the bus off, as someone might if they’re dodging around a deep puddle or pothole. That can really get a trainee’s heart racing and drive home the importance of staying vigilant and adjusting to changes in the total driving environment.”

Developing Your Customized Instructional Solution

All FAAC’s transit simulators support high-fidelity simulation of weather and driving conditions, and this level of instructor control. They also support various swappable vehicle dynamics for generic and manufacturer-specific diesel and electric buses of various lengths and configurations, paratransit, and cut-away vehicles. Some FAAC simulator models, like the MB 2000, can also support FAAC’s immersive role-playing Response Situational Simulator, which incorporates personal interactions, including customer service, emergency situations, and de-escalating passenger conflicts.

Every FAAC transit simulator has VITALS, the Virtual Instructor Trainee Assessment and Learning System. This graphical assessment tool is more than simply a “score sheet”: VITALS acts as an interactive playbook for the instructor, allowing for performance review and play-by-play analysis of Operator decision-making. These scores can be saved and accessed to show progress throughout the training.

Please contact us if you have questions or are ready to start your custom instructional program. Our team looks forward to helping you prepare to operate safely under any conditions.