Devon & Cornwall Police purchase a motorcycle simulator to boost road safety

Road accidents, especially motorcycle accidents, are a problem that concerns and occupies most governments around the world. In the UK specifically, between July 2021 and June 2022, 346 people died in motorcycle accidents, almost exactly the same number (345) as in 2019, the pre-pandemic date. Despite the efforts of the government and road safety organisations to reduce the number of accidents, the accident rate remains high. One of the main causes of motorcycle accidents is lack of experience and overconfidence in terms of riding motorbikes.

In this context, Devon & Cornwall Police, with the support of the UK Department for Transport, has decided to launch a pioneering project in the country that aims to raise awareness among the population, especially young people, about the dangers on the road.

This project consists of the development of a motorcycle riding simulator installed in a mobile classroom, a truck that will travel throughout the region and will allow people to experience dangerous situations on a motorcycle in a completely realistic but safe way.

For this purpose, Devon & Cornwall required the design of high-tech equipment, including a real high-capacity motorcycle installed on a motion platform and surrounded by a visual system that will offer a field of vision of more than 180 degrees to the rider. It will provide a 3D virtual world that will immerse riders in different urban and inter-urban driving environments, adapted to the UK in terms of signage and other relevant features. It will replicate the circulation of other vehicles such as cars, lorries and buses in a highly realistic way, as well as hazardous situations specific to this area and which give rise to numerous accidents involving motorcyclists, such as deer crossing or tractors suddenly entering the road, sudden braking or risk situations in urban environments such as motorcycles ridden incorrectly between lines of cars.

The simulator, which will be battery operated and mounted on a compact truck with a modern, corporate design, will be ready for use in any location. In addition, the simulator will be equipped with police-specific functionalities, such as the activation of the British Blue Light with the corresponding behaviour of the surrounding vehicles. In this way, motorcycle police officers will also be able to train in emergency situations.

This pilot project, which may be exportable to other regions, represents a major commitment in the United Kingdom, since the accident rate for motorcycles is an important problem in the country. At LANDER, we are committed to doing our part to increase awareness of road safety and reduce the number of accidents. We are very grateful to Devon & Cornwall Police for trusting us and inviting us to work together on this crucial project.

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