SKIDCAR System

SKIDCAR System Demo - March 2012

2012-02-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

SKIDCAR Demonstration coming up in March in Las Vegas! See attached for details.

The Long and Winding Road - An Opportunity to Practive What We Preach

2012-02-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

I recently spent a week at Malmstrom AFB training new SKIDCAR instructors. It was -17 degrees in Montana and upon arrival I was trying to stay warm in the HumVee as best I could (“What do you mean there are no seat heaters?”) which was keeping me very busy… Busy stuffing heat packs in my shoes and back pants pockets, busy whining about all the holes in the roof and floorboard, and busy trying to duct tape those holes to stop the incessant cold air and snow from coming in.

But if you ever think today’s young Air Force personnel are not committed to training the younger generation coming into the service, I am here to tell you these kids are full of the “Right Stuff”! I was absolutely humbled by their energy and commitment to absorb the correct thing to do. They just wanted to learn how to use the SKIDCAR equipment to save lives. Concern over my impending hypothermia was quickly overshadowed by my excitement about the younger generation and their desire for driver training.

After a brilliant week with the new instructors at Malmstrom I headed for Lewiston, ID and another customer, Lewis Clark State College. The drive between the two was more than 200 miles in snow, ice, and ever-changing conditions. As I drove the Jeep without the SKIDCAR, I went through the same ESC on-and-off driving scenarios I use when we are in sunny conditions, a dry parking lot, and using the SKIDCAR. And I proved again that the SKIDCAR duplicates those conditions with amazing clarity.

Most importantly, I spent hours in practice of what we preach: that if you can concentrate on being technically correct, you can drive quickly, have a blast, and not endanger any other human being.

I utilized the techniques we as instructors are all trying to pass on; use of thought process, use of vision, technically correct use of the steering, brakes, and gas, stable platform, and not relying on ESC but rather trying to drive so that you don't activate it. Only going as fast as you would be able to stop within your line of sight as a speedometer. No over the perceived center line was allowed. No leaning on the snow banks as you passed startled drivers was encountered; only one solo, multi-hour stint behind the wheel, practicing the craft of driving, with passion, and without mistake.

With the help of Joe Bonamassa (Black Rock) and Joe Satriani (Crystal Planet) I cut 22 minutes off of the GPS arrival time. Seriously, no human or animal life was sacrificed in this drive. Given that the GPS estimate was based on dry, perfect roadways, the outcome was simple: drive with good thought process, using what we teach, and your performance will be more than adequate to get you where you need to be as fast as is practically possible. Plus, more safety and less risk is the reward.

The opportunity to drive "99 Miles of Uninterrupted Winding Road" in snow and ice-covered blacktop is something that is very hard to find. Over the years I’ve gotten to do a lot of winter driving in the North of Sweden. But this year on Lolo pass is unquestionably the finest and longest uninterrupted, long-distance, technically correct drive I have had in a long time, if ever.

I wish you all could have been there. Even the screamers.

~Dane

Type B SKIDCAR Delivery

2012-01-26T11:50:00.001-08:00

A photo of our most recent delivery; a Type B SKIDCAR to Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Technology is Here - Use it to Save Your Budget and Improve Training

2012-01-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

The New Year has arrived and the challenges faced by everyone in the training industry are not getting any easier. Training technologies are moving ahead, but in some sectors “technologies” may just mean more equipment to purchase.

In our component, driver training has taken a huge hit where operating budgets are concerned. Driver training of all types is very expensive. New equipment, old curriculum, lack of understanding of new driver safety technologies that have been built into new vehicles of almost every type; all of this has been put on the back shelf to be dealt with later. Or even worse, not thought of at all until we are forced to by catastrophe!

Will someone be injured or lose his or her life due to ignorance or the lack of ability (funds) to affect improvement or change? Here are a few curriculum topics that need to be addressed and are only the tip of the iceberg:

How many agencies have written curriculum to address driving new vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Control or Traction Control?

What about Pursuit Intervention Techniques (P.I.T.) against a vehicle with ESC, and what if both vehicles have ESC?

What policies have been thought of regarding when to push the ESC/ESP or related button to change the ESC program for different traction and control needs?

What do the Driver Instructor Staff tell their students or in-service personnel about these new technologies that are already in the field and will be in every new unit that goes into service as of this model year?

Should the local agencies ask for help from NHTSA to work with A.L.E.R.T. to develop current standards for training with these federally mandated safety systems?

These are just a few of the questions that the Emergency/Pubic Safety driver training industry is starting to be aware of.

Now, let’s fast forward to the emerging training landscape 2012…

Because of budgets, new technology, and OLD driver training curriculum, it is still possible to survive.

I can ask any of my contemporaries in the driver training technology business: “What is our biggest problem?” Categorically the answer is “improper use of the equipment.” Whether it be a driving simulator or our SKIDCAR™, the statement is the same. The training that we give gets diluted, the originally trained staff disappears, a newly assigned instructor comes into training and tries to understand and use new technology with an old curriculum. Curriculum that was designed with 30-year-old technology called ABS as new!

In many cases academies have invested in SKIDCAR™ and simulator technology but don’t integrate the two into a cohesive program. With best-case scenarios, these assets can be combined and customized to streamline the benefits and cut costs in training.

With thought, new technology used correctly can speed up the learning curve, cut hours from behind the wheel exercises, lessen the need for multimillion-dollar high-speed, high-risk faux race courses, and produce a safer modern driver that beyond all other tasks can operate in the environment where Public Safety comes first and foremost.

We would be most interested in and invite your comments.

SKIDCAR News - Summer/Fall 2011, Alabama

2011-12-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

AMIC Prepares First 2012 Caprice SKIDCAR: Montgomery, ALABAMA

Alabama Municipal Insurance Corp. has installed a SKIDCAR onto a 2012 Chevrolet Caprice. This is the first Chevrolet Caprice in North America to be used with a SKIDCAR SYSTEM. The conversion was recently completed at their Montgomery, Alabama base and as you read this, several weeks of training will have already been delivered by Stanley Fant (Alabama State Trooper Retired), the Driver Training Coordinator for AMIC.

In testing the new Caprice SKIDCAR, Fant and President of AMIC, Steve Wells, were immediately impressed. “The new safety technology available is incredible. We do see though that an experienced driver is predisposed to overreact to the ESC system operation and actually fight against its helping gain back control. Training with this new model will help us keep our insured drivers up to date with the vehicle safety technology so that we continue to lower accident rates with our SKIDCAR program.” The SKIDCAR program has a proven track record in Alabama. The losses from motor vehicle accidents continue to fall due to the driver training programs utilizing the AMIC SKIDCAR.

SKIDCAR News - Summer/Fall 2011, Oregon

2011-12-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Oregon DPSST SKIDTRUCK® Instructor Training: Salem, OREGON

In August we were at the DPSST (Department of Public Safety Standards and Training) in Salem, Oregon working with the Fire Academy and training the instructors who use their SKIDTRUCK®. The Oregon DPSST has a very successful driver training program utilizing a FORD F650 Crew Cab that serves as a Mobile Program delivered throughout the state, training rural firefighters as well as full time personnel. The SKIDTRUCK has been put to good use in a variety of environments, including parking lots, driving pads, and airport facilities throughout the state.

This driver training program has been one of the most popular training programs for the DPSST, with requests for training continuing to push the program to its maximum. With Oregon’s diverse weather conditions, the need to train for inclement weather driving is critical. Because of the importance of exposing both new and experienced drivers to the hazards of operating a fire apparatus, the SKIDTRUCK has proved to be an excellent investment for the State of Oregon and its driver safety courses.

The elemental lessons learned from driving a large truck in slippery conditions, including components of knowing how to think in the right way and the uncommon lesson of using your vision correctly when operating any vehicle, make the SKIDTRUCK the perfect training vehicle for fire service training. We want to congratulate the Oregon DPSST for their excellence in training initiative and for using their SKIDTRUCK to its maximum value concerning driver and public safety.

SKIDCAR Jeep Photos

2011-12-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen the SKIDCAR Jeep for our Mobile Driver Training Program yet, check out these pics featured on GeckoWraps.com.

http://www.geckowraps.com/products/index.php?a=2&b=671

The Value of Skid Control Training

2011-12-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

Below is correspondence from a public online forum, UKPoliceOnline. The exchange is between Jim Hawkins, of SKID CAR UK, and the owner of another skid control training company. Jim gives a great answer to the inquiry of how much value there is in skid control curriculum. Take a look...

Question:
Hi - just joined the forum. I'm hoping for some help with a query... I understand that there are some new directives coming in that stipulate all blues & twos drivers (ambulance, fire as well as police) have to complete a practical skid control driving course.

Do you think that skid control/avoidance training is worthwhile - not only for yourselves as professional drivers but also for young/inexperienced drivers? Asking because a "driving expert" in USA thinks such training encourages drivers to skid - would be interested in your thoughts...

Jim’s Response:
I am grateful to a Google search for introducing me to this forum. We hope you will agree that a business that has been involved in teaching ‘SKIDDING’ to the British Police, for the last 25 years, has a right to comment on this subject.

We at SKID CAR UK, most definitely support the introduction of any aid that may help prevent collisions on the UK roads and we must commend those organizations that have adopted the no car without ESC ethos.

SKID CAR UK wholly agrees that Skid Control should not be taught to inexperienced drivers and it is for this reason that SKID CAR UK has NOT taught SKID CONTROL, to qualified SKID CAR UK instructors, for the last 10 years.

The techniques taught at all our courses have introduced the British Driver to such techniques as Cadence Braking, Declutching, Threshold Braking, and Braking with Anti Lock Brakes and these techniques have enabled drivers all over the world to drive safely on today’s roads.

With the advent of ESC, which replicates all the techniques listed above, one may be tempted to say that there is no longer a need to teach such techniques. However, when you teach someone how to use a new type of firearm, do you rely on the fact he or she has only used a pistol? Alternatively, do you train him or her on how to use the new weapon, safely? After all a Motor Car can also be a lethal weapon!

What concerns SKID CAR UK the most is that a newly qualified driver will not fully understand the concept behind the introduction of any type of ESC. Indeed, this is the case with the current Anti Locking Braking Systems and Traction Control Systems. With many drivers, not having any inclination of what these systems are, let alone knowing how to use them correctly!

As you are no doubt aware, ESC has reduced the collision rates within Scandinavia. However, the Scandinavian authorities regard the training associated with learning how to use such systems, in all types of driving conditions, as the reason for this reduction.

Our Swedish advisors continue to impress on us that “New Systems Demand New Knowledge” and that you can still “Learn Today and Live Tomorrow!” However, you need to use up-to-date teaching methods and techniques. It is time for all SKID CAR frames to be fitted with a vehicle that has ESC.

In fact, ESC has really benefited SKID CAR because for years we have tried to show drivers how realistic it is in all types of weather conditions and ESC has allowed us to do that. Now if you Accelerate Harshly, or Speed, or use Coarse Steering on a corner on which SKID CAR is simulating a wet or icy road ESC will activate. This MUST mean SKID CAR does simulate the correct conditions.

Our advice is to STOP ‘skid training’ and implement what the proposed HSDT Code of Practice states. Avoid and correct skids when driving an emergency vehicle, by being able to do the following:

1. Identify the causation and types of skid.
2. Drive the vehicle in a manner which minimizes the risk of skidding.
3. Understand appropriate corrective action to the type of vehicle being driven.

The point to note here is avoid and correct, NOT CONTROL! This makes it more puzzling because SKID CAR can be used as effectively in Sections 1.1 – 1.4. Where it states, within the range statements, that the elements must cover Weather Conditions and Road Surfaces, just the elements that SKID CAR simulates to allow the driver to learn how to avoid and correct!

SKID CAR is like any other piece of training equipment. If it is used correctly by professionally trained operators and maintained regularly, it will work well. Abuse it, as a FUN FAYRE ride or like a SKID PAN and it will break!

‘JIM’ Hawkins
Adverse Driving Consultant
Senior Partner & Training Manager @ SKID CAR UK
UK Marketing Manager for CEDERGRENS of Sweden
Essential Adverse Driving Course Manager & Instructor
MAIRSO & BRAKE

SKIDCAR News - Summer/Fall 2011, Alaska

2011-11-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

Anchorage Police Department Instructor Training: Anchorage, ALASKA

The trip to Anchorage for instructor training proved to be very different than we initially thought. The Ford Crown Victoria that was available from the Alaska Police Standards Council proved to be in need of repair. Therefore, the Ford Expedition SKIDCAR that had not been assembled since it was purchased was brought into use. This change in equipment allowed us to expose the Anchorage PD instructors to Electronic Stability Control and the driving strategies needed to efficiently use this incredible safety system.

In our five year history of training with ESC and hundreds of Law Enforcement instructors being exposed to the workings of this driver safety technology, our experience has been that the instructors immediately tried to drive around or through the system. The basic working knowledge of how the ESC system worked to maintain control of the vehicle despite driver mistakes is commonly unknown in Law Enforcement. We were therefore able to instruct and promote to the Anchorage instructors an understanding of the system and baseline of use.

Although the Crown Vic SKIDCAR was serviced and eventually put into use, the modern driving techniques learned in the big SUV were much more valuable and the SUV was ultimately used throughout the training. Oddly enough and true to form, the techniques learned for Stable Platform Concepts of maintaining grip used to drive the SUV were also utilized to efficiently drive without activating the ESC. The ESC only engaged when a driver error occurred. Brilliant!

With ESC being made standard on all new police vehicles including sedans and SUVs, this type of training can only become increasingly important in saving the lives of our officers on the road.

Driving with Technology

2011-11-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

The following article addresses a phenomena that we have been experiencing for several years. Teens or young adults who want to pursue a career in Law Enforcement and who previously did not possess a driver’s license are getting one as a requirement to be accepted into an academy where driving is a pre-requisite. This becomes a troubling problem, as academy budgets are designed to further driver training, not start the driving journey.

We at SKIDCAR SYSTEM® are currently engaged with developing lesson plans to help new drivers interface correctly with modern safety systems. An intellectual as well as validating physical experience has shown us that even though vehicles are becoming smarter and safer, drivers have to know vehicles still don't drive themselves. What multitasking behind the wheel means today with the enhancement of personal communications technology will soon, if not already, need to be a serious concern in basic driver training. Texting and mobile phone use has been brought to the public’s attention. But what about the other technologies in modern cars that young or old alike know nothing about? As an example: ESC, TC, or even ABS. How do some of you explain how to "interface" with these new technologies?

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/a-teenage-question-a-car-or-a-smartphone/

SKIDCAR News - Summer/Fall 2011, China

2011-11-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

China Dragon Racing, Zhaoqing: Guangdong Province, CHINA

Our trip to train instructors in China was a very interesting exercise in the versatility of the SKIDCAR and our curriculum. The owner of the business, Kelvin So, had many challenges for us to meet. Not only did he want to use the SKIDCAR as a supplement for training in his racing school, but also wanted to use the driver training tool to gain access to training corporate markets, police, government, and beginner drivers. His model is very close to how we started with SKIDCAR in 1989 as an additional tool at my Pitarresi Pro Drive Racing School at PIR in Portland, OR.

Kelvin was an incredible host to Curt Cedergren and me. We also had an opportunity to get to know Team Manager and instructor candidate Zeng Wei Fang, who has to be one of the hardest working and most successful female Team Managers in Auto Sport. The other two instructors we schooled were motorsports professionals Zhu Yu and Tommy Chan, a young, up-and-coming racer, drifter, and motor journalist in China.

Additionally, the sale of the SKIDCAR to China Dragon Racing has lead to the subsequent reward of the Chinese SKIDCAR dealership. We feel this new team has a very successful future with SKIDCAR and driver training in China!

SKIDCAR News – Summer/Fall 2011

2011-11-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

We at SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc. have been very busy with a number of new SKIDCAR™ deliveries and trainings. Below is the first in a series of highlights regarding companies and departments we have had an opportunity to visit over the past several months.

Southeast Regional College: Weyburn Campus, Saskatchewan, CANADA

The trend of community colleges offering unique curriculum is not new in North America. SKIDCAR SYSTEM® has been integrated into the Law Enforcement driver training programs at more than 28 community colleges around the country. But one such college in Canada has purchased a SKIDCAR for a new customer base; the oil and gas industry in the southern province of Saskatchewan.

Their instructor staff, utilizing the parking area at the regional airport, is now offering training courses featuring a Chevrolet Tahoe attached to a Type B SKIDCAR SYSTEM. The Tahoe SKIDCAR’s ability for training with 2 wheel, 4 wheel, and automatic 4 wheel drive is perfect for the challenging conditions and environment of rural Saskatchewan.

New vehicles used in the oil patch are coming standard with Electronic Stability Controls, traction controls, and ABS brakes, making this SKIDCAR training a fundamentally positive step forward in mitigating safety concerns from the industry. Congratulations to Southeast Regional College for accomplishing this much needed advancement in their area for oil field safety!

IBG Newsletter

2011-09-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

This month’s newsletter features two incredible articles. One, “Nothing Left,” is a real, on the ground account of an FBI Instructor dealing with the sights and sounds of tragedy at Shanksville and second, a detailed look at the super high tech new training center for the FDNY.

http://www.theinteractgroup.com/newsletter.html

Press Release - SKIDCAR SYSTEM in China

2011-07-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2011 - We would like to congratulate Kelvin So and CHINA DRAGON RACING in becoming the exclusive agents for SKIDCAR™ in China.

CEDERGRENS MEK, the manufacturer of SKIDCAR SYSTEM in Sweden, awarded the contract this week.

CDR, based at the international racing circuits at Zhuhai International Racing Circuit located in Zhuhai, China and Guangdong International Circuit located near Zhaoqing, China, have been at the forefront of motorsports competition throughout Asia. Principal and team owner Mr. Kelvin So has over a decade of experience in competition driving and in operating a multifunction business operation including racing school, racing car rentals, FIA Touring car preparation, team, driver management and driver coaching.

With roots in automobile racing, CDR has for the last several years explored expanding their training business component to target the exploding Chinese market of car sales and the obvious need for Road Safety Training for its emerging automobile drivers.

In the search for the world’s best technology, curriculum, and SKIDCAR instructor training, CDR turned to Sweden, the safest country in the world in regards to Road Safety.

With examination of critical statistics and technology used in Swedish curriculum, SKIDCAR was the choice above all others to offer a driver training tool for an inexperienced Road Safety Training market.

China has generations of experience in the human transport of goods, services and its people. However, as new economic classes are increasingly able to afford automobile based mobility, a revolution in Road Safety Training is a very real and important step to mitigate the costs of automobile related accidents, injuries and deaths to the Chinese people.

Cedergrens and their brand SKIDCAR™ and SKIDTRUCK® are the recognized leaders in practical equipment for driver training used in road safety. Kelvin So and CDR needed an efficient answer to bring road safety training to China while also enhancing their professional training operations in China’s emerging Motorsports Industry.

Kelvin So and CDR knew through their research that a multifunction approach to wide use of the SKIDCAR was necessary. Road Safety Training as a primary new business direction had to be supplemented with SKIDCAR use for other CDR business and driving school ventures. Competitive Track Events, Advanced Driving, the sport of Drifting, and Police and Emergency Response are all in the sights of CDR.

Cedergrens turned to the exclusive North American agents and world’s largest SKIDCAR distributor, SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. for the task of SKIDCAR Instructor training and certification. CDR needed programs to offer to a multitude of driving disciplines. Racing, Drifting, Advanced, as well as Road Safety Training programs had to be addressed and baselines for curriculum developed.

Dane and Lisa Pitarresi, owners of SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. have more than two decades of experience in SKIDCAR use. Dane’s knowledge in training over 1000 instructors for multiple driver training disciplines was called upon to deliver the needed information for SKIDCAR use to CDR’s experienced driver trainers and coaches.

Dane’s 39 years of automobile racing, teaching, coaching, and developing driving programs for SKIDCAR in road safety as well as advanced and racing programs, were utilized to give CDR a maximum jump start in preparing curriculum and use for the Chinese market.

SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC – Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

CEDERGRENS MEK - Klintehamn, Sweden

CHINA DRAGON RACING - Hong Kong, China

If you have any questions about this article please contact SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. at 866-SKIDCAR (754-3227) or via the web by visiting www.skidcar.com

Public Safety Training News

2011-06-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

If you missed the June issue of Public Safety Training News, check it out here:
http://www.theinteractgroup.com/newsletter.html

2011-05-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Our new SKIDJeep and Mobile Driver Training Program vehicle!

MDTP - May Events

2011-05-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

After many months of preparation, our SKIDCAR SYSTEM SkidJeep was unveiled this month for the first official presentation of our Mobile Driver Training Program during the Fire-Rescue Med Conference in Las Vegas.

Now utilizing a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with up to date Electronic Stability and Traction Control programs, we began our demonstration/training using the less intrusive ESC setting which disengaged traction control and limited ESC engagement until seriously inducing a front or rear wheel skid. With unwise use of the steering or throttle, the Jeep could still be spun out regardless of the ESC engagement. It was very realistic, and continued to be uncontrollable within the lane of travel when the student used the vehicle controls unwisely.

Following FRM, the SkidJeep was taken to Boulder City for an instructor training rally hosted by Nevada POOL/PACT. The Instructor class began with a Crown Vic with only ABS working. The initial training contained components of recognizing different types of skids, regaining control after mistakes made, and then avoiding them altogether. One of the components of a great SKIDCAR instructor is they must know just as much about how skids are made and skidding, as how to avoid them.

Crossing over to the Jeep, we used the ESC in two modes in 2 wheel drive. We then used 4 wheel drive without ESC. We found that ESC has become another electronic instructor as it is instantaneous in response to a dynamic problem the driver has made. Frustration abounded as there now were few burnouts, fewer out of control spins, and much anxiety brought on by the ESC intrusion into their driving mistakes. A very interesting new component to the instructor training was the exploration of how ESC works, how it is activated and how the driver can “feed” grip to the vehicle to help the ESC gain back control. At the end of the week and with final testing executed, all the instructors were driving outside the ESC system and functioning at the same lap times as a good driver would have driving a car without ESC.

At both events, we concluded that with ESC a number of positive actions were taken. The drivers learned faster as they did not have the time needed to "FEEL" what the car was doing and learn corrective action from the instructor first. ESC did this for them. This allowed us to spend more time working on “the Big Three“ components for good driving; use of sight, shuffle steering, and braking concepts used for stability. Because they were not taking the time to skid so much and then recover, what we (the Instructor Team) had to do was simply guide the driver to the right way to drive and then the ESC would not engage. Ultimately, we still arrived at the same destination with a driver who recognized Grip, and Slip, and what they did as a driver to cause the loss of stability.

Following a very short time behind the wheel we realized positive results, which in past lessons took much more time to accomplish. A savings of time extrapolates to huge savings in the funds necessary for labor, student time, and equipment cost and maintenance during training sessions.

For our component of driver training, we think the future is here.

SKIDCAR Deliveries

2011-04-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months, several new SKIDCARs have been delivered for use in driver training for a variety of personnel. We would like to welcome the below agencies/businesses to the SKIDCAR family:

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Academy – California

Pennsylvania State Police – Pennsylvania

Luzerne County Community College Regional Public Safety Training Institute – Pennsylvania

Maxwell Driving School – Tennessee

Upcoming Events - Fire-Rescue Med

2011-04-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Fire-Rescue Med: May 9-13, Las Vegas
We will be presenting a demonstration of our SKIDCAR SYSTEM Mobile Driver Training Program in the parking lot of The Orleans Hotel which is the host property.

The MDTP is a practical solution to small, rural, or any department which lacks the budget or space to sustain a full-time driver training program. It also offers an unprecedented opportunity to introduce your drivers to Electronic Stability Control systems, how they work, and how best to drive with instead of against them. SKIDCAR System, Inc. provides all equipment and materials necessary including use of a Type A SKIDCAR SYSTEM, vehicle, and curriculum taught by a Certified Instructor. If there is an existing driver training program in place, we are able to work with your current instructors to incorporate the SKIDCAR into your approved curriculum, or a custom program can be designed to meet your needs.

Please let us know if you will be attending FRM and would like the opportunity to experience the SKIDCAR for yourself by contacting us at info@skidcar.com.

Find out more about FRM 2011 by visiting their website at http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/iafc/frm11/public/enter.aspx. We look forward to seeing you there!

Upcoming Events - ILEETA

2011-04-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

ILEETA: April 11-16, Chicago
Dane Pitarresi, President of SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc., will be participating in a round table discussion chaired by Travis Yates during the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association Conference in Chicago, IL.

Captain Travis Yates is a Team Leader with the Tulsa Police Precision Driver Training Unit and is a nationally recognized driving instructor. He also moderates www.policedriving.com, a website dedicated to law enforcement driving issues.

Our presence as a representative of a component of future driver training curriculum adds importance to the need for innovative thinking regarding training in a modern EVOC environment. New technologies, new training philosophies, and new curriculum strategies will be discussed. We are proud to be working together with Captain Yates to bring attention to this critical topic.

More information about ILEETA can be found online at http://www.ileeta.org/conference-general-info.php

Using Racing Drivers to Teach Driver Safety - Part 2

2011-03-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

(To see Part 1 of this series, check the January 2011 blog archive.)

In the last segment, I spoke of the study that we were a part of in the early 90’s. The study results showed crash reduction rates at night and in inclement weather, as well as a reduction in rear end collisions following the training. On the other hand, several male students used the physical skills information unwisely and raised the general crash rate for the group. (They now are probably either professional drift competitors or in jail somewhere…)

The crash categories which showed reductions came about because the drivers were THINKING properly. The results that were not as positive motivated us to look for better ways to use our product.

In the 20 years since that study, we have continued to reevaluate our driver training curriculum and physical use of the SKIDCAR, always in search of the most efficient training methods to produce safer drivers. I have to make a very deliberate statement that we NO LONGER train with a predominantly physical SKILL SET. The cognitive side of loss of control and avoidance issues has become a priority. Using the physical experience to validate what the driver has done wrong, builds a confidence in respect to enabling humbled drivers to be more careful in the end.

After being in the Vehicle Control business for over 20 years I can tell you that the message (cognitive) that has come along with the physical exercise (skidding) is one that can either be misinterpreted (student) or misrepresented (instructor), or not part of what the curriculum had intended at all. Be it a Race Driver, Law Enforcement Officer, Firefighter, or an 18 year old MSgt in the Air Force that has become the new driver training Sergeant, you have to know, understand, and deliver what your outcomes demand of your curriculum. Ultimately, you need professional communicators.

So what should we be communicating? Check back for Part 3 on the curriculum argument of skills versus insight. In the meantime, leave us a comment to let us know what YOU think.

Mobile Driver Training Program Course Structure

2011-03-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

At SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc. we are constantly upgrading our curriculum and physical use of the SKIDCAR™. Over the years we have found that an elemental understanding of the cognitive learning process, which leads to better decision-making behind the wheel, has been proven to be the most important aspect of driver, passenger, and public safety in America.

Aimed at the practical goal of better thinking while operating a motor vehicle, we have designed three driving programs. Each satisfy the need for increased cognitive comprehension and offer solutions to common problems facing drivers in North America and abroad.

Our Mobile Driver Training Programs featuring SKIDCAR are an example of modern use of the “better thinking driver training course.” Our Internationally accepted SKIDCAR SYSTEM learning elements are employed in all courses delivered.

The foundation of understanding comes from known fundamental flaws that modern drivers face. Many of today’s driver training courses are based in learning the physical skills necessary to pass individual exercise requirements. These sessions lack influence in student understanding of basic vehicle dynamics, the personal attention needed to maintain control, and a larger understanding of what the driver does to cause loss of control events.

SKIDCAR SYSTEM courses enforce three centers of Driving Program Priority:

1. Use of thought process and vision in personal risk assessment and avoidance. Our goal is to convey to students how vision (use of sight) can lower risk and lengthen the time available to make proper decisions while controlling a vehicle. Looking where you want to go is a simple rule to understand. Whether it is driving to work, operating in inclement weather, or within an emergency response environment, sight is the only window where information can be found and decisions made. But for today’s driver it is a very difficult element to master without understanding its importance. Mobile phones, information devices, vehicle GPS, and entertainment systems all fragment attention and take the sense of sight away from the driving task. Personal elements of anxiety, frustration, and psychomotor operational skill further diminish sight and thought process when confronted with extraordinary events. The only reliable way of demonstrating the importance of thinking properly in such situations, is allowing the student to personally experience the process that exists. In very short periods of time we can successfully immerse students into a driving environment where critical thinking is key to safety, control, and completion of the course.

2. Over-use and misuse of the steering wheel are common mistakes made by today’s drivers. During events that require immediate response, most drivers overreact with over-use of the steering wheel. Alarming components to single or multicar accidents are: the common occurrence for drivers to be surprised (through lack of attention), overreact mentally, and then over use the controls of the vehicle. A driving program utilizing the SKIDCAR can teach the practicality of always paying attention and the ease and confidence of learning to use the controls less. These points can make most all drivers both safer and more ECO-efficient.

3. Proper use of the braking system is always easily demonstrated in the SKIDCAR. We combine the design philosophy of 21st Century Electronic Stability Controls with practical application of standard ABS common to almost every vehicle today. It is standard in every MDTP to practice and gain proper braking use through actual first hand experience.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is used to start every MDTP. The student behind the wheel of the SKIDCAR gets several laps through a coned course to become comfortable with the course and operating the vehicle in a low speed slippery environment. As the course progresses, the student is exposed to mistakes that could cause loss of control. Through these miscalculations the ESC activates and automatically corrects the mistakes of the driver. Through this electronic correction the driver is coached to drive so the ESC does not activate. Once confidence has been gained to drive technically correct, the ESC is turned off and the driver is exposed to maintaining control through his or her own expertise with thinking clearly and correctly operating the vehicle. This structured learning environment allows for the driver to learn precisely what causes loss of control, and stimulates the personal goal of safety in all driving environments.

Using Racing Drivers to Teach Driver Safety - Part 1

2011-01-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

I have recently noticed a media trend regarding this question of using Racing Drivers to teach Driver Safety. I have been on both sides of the debate throughout my career. My own experience progressed from a racer, to a driver instructor and racing school owner. Now it continues as a driver training equipment supplier, instructor trainer, and driver training service provider employing instructors to work for me, primarily outside the public sector.

Motor skills training (if that is what you're teaching) needs experienced instructors that know vehicle dynamics inside and out. The instructors have to be very good drivers to answer, persuade, motivate and often times demonstrate physically what they can't communicate cognitively. Some Racing Drivers make excellent driving instructors as they have had to master not only driving, but communication on many different levels from PR, to working with data, to dealing with cranky car owners, crew chiefs, media and fans.

The real and great trainers I know are easy to use in hybrid training as they are presentable, professional, and know their craft well enough that given an assignment they learn quickly. Most of them are masters at turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse.

As a Racing Driver Instructor in the early 90's, I was involved in a study in Oregon. It is out there on the web somewhere, but in short we used a curriculum of skills-based training dealing with the issue of SKID CONTROL.

Want to know how the study turned out? Come back for Part 2 next week, and as always, we are interested to hear your thoughts and comments.

The Danger of Inefficient Training

2011-01-11T17:19:00.000-08:00

The Driver Training industry faces a sobering message as we enter 2011. Once again we see an increase in Law Enforcement traffic related crashes with fatal results. The statistics show a dramatic rise in these incidents which now far outweigh the number of deaths caused by gunfire. Needless to say, all is not well in the Municipal driver training industry.

What happened? While we do not know the details of all these accidents, we do know that in the last 20 years Police and Fire/EMS driver training has become more exposed as a needed and mandatory training segment. Considering the amount of time spent in their vehicles, driving is in many cases the number one component of risk for injury or death to Police officers.

Even with the raised exposure to driver training, we have to wonder if the curriculum being offered is as good as it could be? With more driver training AND more accidents, is the offered curriculum doing more harm than good?

It may be time to reevaluate and move driver training into the 21st Century. Electronic dynamic safety technology (ESC/ESP/TC/electronic brake force distribution and more) allows vehicles to help the driver when mistakes are made. Does this mean all the electronics will take the place of thorough driver training? No, we don’t think so. However, Driver Training in the 21st century may need to move from motor-skills based, to improving how the driver thinks and communicates with the new, smarter modes of transportation.

A very interesting future awaits us. Hopefully, we will be a part of it, and not caught still sorting out driver training curriculum from the 20th Century.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts…

Dane

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of 2010, we understand that schedules and plans for the New Year are likely already underway. We would like to remind you that our new Mobile Driver Training Program officially begins in the spring, and the calendar is currently open to reserve training dates for your company/department.

Additional information is available on our website at http://www.skidcar.com/skidcar-system/mobile-driver-training.php, and we are always glad to answer your questions personally by calling (866) 754-3227.

All our best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season and prosperous New Year!

Essential Adverse Driving Course, SKIDCAR UK

2010-11-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

A GREAT new video from our SKIDCAR counterpart in the UK!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBM3xkifMxw

2010 ALERT International Conference

2010-10-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS, NV, - SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc. was pleased to have the opportunity to attend the 2010 ALERT (Association of Professional Law Enforcement Emergency Response Trainers) International Conference. For many months, we at SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc. have been working diligently to complete the curriculum details of our new ESC focused training program. It was presented in an abbreviated format for the first time during this conference, and judging from all feedback and accounts of the experience, the workshop was a great success.

We want to thank Director RuthAnn Baugh and Randy Jacoby of the Precision Driving Training Center OSU-OKC for their hospitality and use of their facility and Ford Expedition fitted with a SKIDCAR SYSTEM™. An outstanding number of attendees were able to get behind the wheel for the hands-on component of exposing ESC during our presentations, thanks to the PDTC accommodations.

In the last three years, SKIDCAR SYSTEM, Inc. has gained extensive knowledge through the use of our own SKIDCAR™ demonstration unit and by driving other vehicles both with and without ESC in the USA and Europe. This combination of experiences has provided us a very clear picture of the curriculum needed for future training with ESC.

Those that drove the PDTC Expedition with SKIDCAR found that ESC activates when the driver does something incorrect behind the wheel. Previously accepted control techniques only slowed down the recovery times and increased the amount of road surface used. All the while, ESC was doing its best to correct the driver’s problems. We feel that as we teach students how to drive with ESC rather than against it, control techniques will be more straightforward and take less time to master, ultimately providing more time for important components like a proactive thought process. Not surprisingly, everyone who participated in this exercise felt the same way. There is no question about the need for calculated exposure to these programs, and that assessment was only further reinforced by the outcome of our experience at ALERT.

The nature of the EVOC industry has always been one resistant to change. A perfect example is past skid control and cornering curriculum. The old training focuses singularly on a rear wheel or over steer skid and racing path of travel strategies that just don’t make sense in today’s driving environment. Doing nothing to change curriculum has proven to be the easiest course of action for a very long time. After training in the EVOC environment for more than 20 years, the minimal changes we have seen in curricula have failed to evolve much with modern thought process, technology, and environment.

Instructors did evolve however, due to years of experience and the personal initiative to increase their own knowledge. But now we are seeing a “changing of the guard” as many of these instructors are retiring. Without years of trial and error to lean on, young new instructors are turning to the published curriculum for guidance - the same curriculum that hasn’t changed in nearly two decades. It seems only practical that to increase safety and efficiency, we need to move forward with new ideas that work, utilizing the new technology available. Then, the new generation of instructors will be better equipped to train a new generation driver accustomed to learning in a different way.

Through the development of ESC, the automobile manufacturers and their safety system engineers have taken positive steps to forever change the way we will think about controlling a Car, Truck, or SUV in adverse conditions or an emergency event. Now, it will be up to the Law Enforcement Driver Training industry to meet the challenges of the very near future.

The Safety Issues of Computerized Car Control

2010-10-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of fascinating articles brought to our attention by Mark Edmund, a SKIDCAR driving instructor at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. Though not training based, they center on vehicle control by focusing on the idea that the computerized nature of vehicles today could potentially leave them vulnerable to attack from outside sources. This is an interesting safety concept, to say the least.

If you have articles or comments to share, please let us know. We would love to hear from you!

Taking Over a Car
Sept\Oct 2010
Cars are becoming more computerized, an evolution that could have an unintended side effect: vulnerability to attacks.
Source: Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/26045/?a=f http://www.autosec.org/pubs/cars-oakland2010.pdf

There's More Than One Type of Skid

2010-10-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Why, oh why do driving instructors from all disciplines think there is only one type of skid?

Driver training in the 21st Century is getting very interesting. After 35 years of practical driver training experience at a number of different levels I think things are going backward. No pun intended!

Why do agencies (you know who you are) buy a very expensive and most cleverly designed piece of equipment and use it to only skid sideways, or even worse, play games with the students by pushing buttons and unexpectedly relieving grip to make them go out of control? I subscribe to throwing tasks at the driver, but let’s make sure it’s meaningful. I have seen and heard way too many stories of the driver never being held accountable for the slide because of the “show”. We have found (and so do most SKIDCAR users) that the student is highly qualified to make his or her own mistakes without any help… Thank you very much.

Back to this over steer, over react, over use, rear wheel slide-skid. Personally, I think it is focused on because it creates the most bang for the buck (in entertainment value). It’s fun to slide, easy to teach correction if you have enough room, and did I say it’s fun? In fact, there is a whole motorsport dedicated to just this: sliding sideways!

But mainly neglected is the fact that front-wheel skids are often the cause of a rear-wheel reaction. They are more difficult to recover from, and ultimately deadlier. Plus, the technology of ESC is about to change the game by removing the likelihood of rear-wheel skids, and leaving you with only the one that no one wants to talk about. Are you ready for that? Are your students? Don’t your public service officials deserve better?

I’d like to hear what you think.

Dane

SKIDCAR SYSTEM® Comparison

2010-09-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

For more than 20 years SKIDCAR™ has supplied an extremely realistic and practical approach to driver training. The SKIDCAR SYSTEM® remains the only driver training product on the market that gives the options for a complete, modern, practical, and safe driver training experience. The SKIDCAR allows drivers to experience varying levels of grip, and learn a safe and consistent approach to reacting to those scenarios. We thought it valuable to compare a modern SKIDCAR to other training equipment so our current and future customers can see why SKIDCAR is truly like no other Driver Training device on the market.

Check out our SKIDCAR SYSTEM Comparison Chart:
http://www.skidcar.com/comparison/index.php

SKIDCAR Workshop at ALERT Conference 9/15 & 16

2010-09-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC has scheduled two innovative, advanced DRIVER TRAINING events for September and October of 2010. The SKIDCAR SYSTEM® used primarily for skid avoidance, skid recovery, or skid control lessons, will be showcased in driver training workshops exploring the use of Electronic Stability Programs (ESP) or Electronic Stability Control (ESC).The ESP/ESC in most of today’s new vehicles (and mandated to be in all passenger cars by 2012) is an onboard vehicle dynamics program that monitors, calculates and integrates corrections on mistakes made by the driver. ESP/ESC activates when a driver has made an error or is being overly aggressive. The system provides an additional safety net and may be the next best vehicle control component in keeping drivers and passengers safe and in control in all types of weather and road conditions.

Workshops will feature an up-to-date ESP/ESC equipped vehicle fitted with a SKIDCAR SYSTEM. This program will target ESP/ESC understanding, use, and benefits focused at First Responder agencies including Law Enforcement, Fire/EMS, Municipal fleets, Military, and Public Risk Management agencies.

Our first ESP/ESC workshop is scheduled for the A.L.E.R.T International Conference in Oklahoma City, September 13 – 16, 2010.http://www.alertinternational.com/

The second workshop will be delivered to Firefighter and EMS Drivers attending FIRE SHOWS RENO in Reno, Nevada, October 25th, 2010. This event is limited to participants and prior registration is required.http://www.fireshowsreno.com/

For further information on either of these events, please visit the links provided, or contact our office at (866) 754-3227 or info@skidcar.com.

SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. MOBILE TRAINING

2010-09-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 19, 2010

LAS VEGAS, NV, - SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. announced today that a new Mobile Driver Training Course is scheduled to be unveiled in May of 2011. This expansion promises to bring the effective, innovative SKIDCAR SYSTEM® curriculum to departments and organizations that previously lacked access to such a program.

Since 1990, SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. has primarily delivered SKIDCAR™ Equipment and Instructor Training to Law Enforcement, 1st Responder, and Military Driver Training Academies, and currently has equipment and instructors operating in 42 States. However, many agencies and communities do not have the infrastructure to support a full time driving program utilizing the SKIDCAR. Bringing a designated mobile SKIDCAR to these communities as-needed, can implement a program of practical driver training on a temporary schedule. SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. would deliver everything needed including a specially trained professional instructor.

Difficult economic times have recently been a reminder that practical Driver Training is vitally important not only to public welfare, but also tightened budgets. Comprehensive Driver Training has proven to lower vehicle accident rates, reducing expenditures created by health care, insurance, and equipment costs.

The owners of SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC., Dane and Lisa Pitarresi, stated, “With today’s Municipal Risk Pools requiring their insured agencies to improve Driver Training programs, we are in an excellent position to offer a proven, practical alternative to old and antiquated curriculum. SKIDCAR training can be customized for use in Basic Driver Safety Courses, Advanced Driver Training, EVOC for Fire/ EMS and Police, and/or Military programs. Even teens or family members of municipal employees could attend safety training utilizing our modern SKIDCAR SYSTEM.”

As Fleet Administrators add new vehicles equipped with ESC (Electronic Stability Control) to their existing inventory, the SKIDCAR™ can easily cross-train with the new technology of electronic driver safety equipment, keeping training programs relevant and up to date. Using the SKIDCAR affords small, medium, and even large agencies the opportunity to present Risk Reduction, Skid Control, and Electronic Stability Control training anywhere a suitable paved area is available. Expensive and hard to find EVOC centers and road courses are not required.

SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. is well-equipped to meet the demands of the modern Risk Reduction campaigns of Law Enforcement Agencies, Fire, and EMS Departments as well as their need for modernized Driver Training and Critical Driver Safety Education. For more information on 2011 scheduling please call SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. at (702) 395-2896 or contact via e-mail at info@skidcar.com.

Miller Motorsports Park

2010-08-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

The SKIDCAR SYSTEM® at Miller Motorsports Park is a vital element to the exercises conducted during their auto racing classes. To read more about the outline of the driver training class and how the SKIDCAR™ exposes students to these important handling issues, click on the link below.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700033719/Miller-Motorsports-Park-Amateur-racers-can-hone-driving-skills.html?pg=1

2010-08-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

With the increased use of ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and the confusion surrounding its actual use in the marketplace, I thought it appropriate to post this article I found on the web. It is written by South African automotive writer, enthusiast, and driver trainer, Rob Handfield - Jones.

His article on ESC and the importance of understanding it, is well thought out, clearly written and easily understood. It’s 2010 and ESC is coming, if not here already, in many fleet vehicles. With 1970’s driver-training curriculum still rampant in many of our driving academies, maybe this article will bring a clear and conscious awareness of the need to upgrade our perception of modern driving lesson plans.

ESC Knowledge Gap Creates Risk by Rob Handfield - Jones
http://bit.ly/bB4UIS

Mid-Ohio Holds Teen Driver Training Safety Program

2010-08-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.northcentralohio.com/newsboard/single.asp?Story=41207

ALERT Conference 2010

2010-08-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Below are details on this year’s ALERT Conference. This is the only organization of its type in North America and is an excellent source of information, training, services, and equipment targeted directly at the Law Enforcement Driver Training Industry. For more information on ALERT, please visit http://www.alertinternational.com/.

We hope to see you there!

SKIDCAR SYSTEM® in Singapore

2010-07-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

As an international product, SKIDCAR™ video often pops up from all over the world. However, this is the first time we have seen a clip out of Singapore. Check out this YouTube video for a great example of how to use a SKIDCAR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRSLncyP26g

Omaha Police Appreciation Day

2010-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

What puts a SKIDCAR System® at the top of a police department’s list of equipment needs? The fact that more officers nationwide die in the line of duty from vehicle-related accidents than from gunfire. The Omaha PD began training with their new SKIDCAR™ in November 2009 and is systematically putting officers through the program weekly to reinforce better vehicle control habits. They demonstrated the SKIDCAR to the public and media last month during their first annual Police Appreciation Day.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100606/NEWS01/706069962

Hamilton Backs Anti-Skid System

2010-07-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

One of the projects we have been working on for some time is the project of Electronic Stability Control (or ESC) education.

My daily global search of all things SKIDCAR alerted me to an event in Glasgow, Scotland. "BIG ON GLASGOW" reported on F-1 Champion Lewis Hamilton supporting the use of Electronic Stability Control in street cars. The numbers given within the story are very interesting and telling of what a secret ESC really is to many people. I would think that these numbers could possibly represent our impressions and knowledge of what ESP can do for us in America as well.

Enjoy!

Hamilton backs anti-skid system

July 12, 2010 @ 11:07 pm Posted By BIG ON News

A car anti-skid protection system that too few Britons are using has been displayed by motor racing star Lewis Hamilton.

Only two in five drivers know of the existence of electronic stability control (ESC) with an AA/Populus poll showing that more than a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds see the system as pointless.

ESC was shown off by Hamilton – who finished second in Sunday’s British Grand Prix – at a safety event at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.

The AA said that although ESC has the potential to save 250 lives a year in the UK, car showroom staff had not promoted the system enough.

While 27-28% of 18 to 34-year-olds saw ESC as pointless, only 13-14% of over-55s shared this view, the AA said.

Is Your Vehicle Smarter Than You? ESC/ESP Workshops

2010-07-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

At SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC we have scheduled several interesting advanced DRIVER TRAINING events for September and October. The SKIDCAR SYSTEM® used primarily for skid avoidance, skid recovery or skid control lessons, will be showcased in driver training workshops exploring the use of Electronic Stability Programs or Electronic Stability Control.

We have been using this technology turned on and off with our Type B SKIDCAR™ for more than three years, and have spent many hours on the frozen lakes and roads in the North of Sweden during our own winter testing without the SKIDCAR SYSTEM® attached. ESP/ESC plays a definite role in driver safety and control. It may be the next best vehicle control component in keeping drivers safe and in control in all types of weather and road conditions.

ESP/ESC activates when the driver has made a mistake or is being overly aggressive. We know that the system works well enough to add an additional safety net for the driver making repeated mistakes. The ESP/ESC in most of today’s new vehicles (and mandated to be in all vehicles by 2012) is an onboard vehicle dynamics expert that monitors, calculates and integrates corrections on mistakes made by the driver.

Our first ESP/ESC workshop is scheduled for the A.L.E.R.T International Conference in Oklahoma City, September 13 – 15, 2010.
http://www.alertinternational.com/

The second workshop will be delivered to FIREFIGHTER AND EMS DRIVERS attending FIRE SHOWS RENO in Reno, Nevada, October 25th, 2010. This event is limited to participants. Prior registration is required.
http://www.fireshowsreno.com/

For further information on either of these events, please visit the links provided, or contact our office at (866) 754-3227 or info@skidcar.com.

SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. Trademarks

2010-06-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

At the posh SKIDCAR SYSTEM offices in Las Vegas, most days begin the same. The routine starts by firing up the computers, venti coffee in hand, to sort through e-mail and our revolving list of important tasks. Along with the usual number of new enquiries and questions from SKIDCAR Users about parts and service, we also get our morning report of web published articles featuring the words or phrases “SKIDCAR”, “driver training”, “skid control”, “avoidance motor-sport events”, etc.

It has become increasingly apparent that the trade name “SKIDCAR” or “SKID CAR” is being used without permission in the naming and explanation of motorsports events, electronic gaming, driver training aids or equipment, and yes, even drifting cars.

Please be aware that the following are Federally Registered trademarks owned by SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC., a Nevada corporation based in Las Vegas:

SKIDCAR™

SKIDTRUCK®

SKIDCAR SYSTEM®

IT'S ABOUT GRIP, NOT SLIP®

Any descriptive use of these marks for any device or action not using an original Cedergrens Skid Car design is in violation of these Federally registered trademarks.

So all you posers out there, we are watching. The firm who represents our trademark defense is keen on going to Germany and the new Audi R8 competition school, right after they dock the new yacht in the Monaco Harbor…so they are hungry. Beware!

Fire Department SKIDTRUCK Training

2010-06-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

As a presenter during our 2010 International SkidCar Users Conference, Major Mike Fitzgerald of the Edmond Oklahoma Fire Department took an opportunity to show off his photo shop skills when he displayed this pic of the first SkidCar System:

In reality though, Maj. Fitzgerald is doing great things in driver training, promoting safety not only to his own department but other smaller departments in the region. See what they think of their SKIDTRUCK Fire Engine experience here:

http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x681828920/Stillwater-drivers-train-at-EFD-facility

SKIDCAR SYSTEM Course Layouts

2010-05-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

Over the years we have tried many different course configurations. Since the condition and shape of each area is different, it is necessary to build slightly different courses for each.

Because of the reality of limited training time behind the wheel of the SKIDCAR, we have designed some short and simple layouts to gain maximum value from the least amount of time and space. Our priorities for SKIDCAR use with a limited time behind the wheel are:

1. Use of the Eyes - You must look in the direction you want to go

2. Use of the Steering Wheel - Experience shows us that most everyone uses the steering wheel too much, and needed knowledge of how the front contact patches actually work is quick, easy, and enlightening in the SKIDCAR.

3. Use of the Brakes – The brakes should be seen as a tool to stabilize and add grip to the car rather than just something to use to slow or stop.

4. Maximum Repetition - A course 30 to 40 seconds in length allows maximum repetition. If you only have 15 minutes per student, a 30 second course give them thirty tries to get it right or wrong!

So if you follow my drift (a little skid humor) a simple oval designed to move the drivers’ eyes past the windshield post and out the side window is good for the use of head and eyes.

A turn designed with a long enough radius to allow for good and bad stable platform cornering techniques will provide validation of "Do everything sooner but less of it."

The two straightaways should be long enough to build enough speed to practice critical braking techniques for corner entry. This also helps with throttle application as they have to learn not to spin the rear tires on acceleration.

We have seen very good training response leaving the grip level constant during the 15 minutes and decreasing the amount of "NEW" traction levels to deal with. We still feel it is entirely appropriate to segregate front wheel skids and rear wheel skids, but time being what it is, which is the more important experience?

We have found that if we make the desired outcomes simpler, the student gets it quicker and validation of cognitive information about real world vehicle control comes with a shorter investment of time.

Crossroads Driver Training

2010-05-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

The new SKIDCAR SYSTEM delivered to Crossroads Driver Training in Manitoba, Canada at the end of last year is certainly being put to good use. Dane Wilson teaches driver safety, skid control, and skid avoidance with his Type “A” SKIDCAR SYSTEM installed on a Chevrolet Impala. Take a look at the article “Just skidding around”…..

http://autos.winnipegfreepress.com/index.php?action=news&step=blog&id=2478

Omaha PD to Unveil New SKIDCAR to the Public

2010-05-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

On June 10th, the Omaha Police Department will show off their new SKIDCAR System during the first annual Firefighter and Police Appreciation Day. The SKIDCAR was purchased through donations to the nonprofit Firefighter and Police Appreciation Foundation in an effort to save the lives of both officers and citizens by training better, safer drivers. For details on the event, read http://www.omaha.com/article/20100418/NEWS01/100419614/1009#michael-kelly-600-000-tribute, and check out pics of the Omaha SKIDCAR below!

SkidTruck Instructor Training

2010-05-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

SkidTruck Instructor Training

SkidCar System President, Dane Pitarresi, was in Oregon earlier this month teaching and certifying additional instructors for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. These new instructors will become part of an already outstanding driver training program used throughout the state for both volunteer and permanent Firefighters. Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUgN-pqhbc&feature=youtube_gdata to learn more about the DPSST program.

2010 Conference Press Release

2010-05-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS, NV, April 29 – SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. completed its third International SKIDCAR™ Users Conference earlier this month with great success. Attendees included guests from four countries representing Law Enforcement Agencies, Fire Departments, Municipal Risk Pools, and leaders from Swedish Road Safety organizations.

Presentations focused on the topic of “Training the Young and/or Inexperienced Driver” and were delivered from multiple driver training disciplines. Speakers included Phil Liggins of Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho, Captain Mark Varney of the New Hampshire Police Standards & Training Council, Jim Hawkins of Skid Car UK (United Kingdom), Captain Mike Fitzgerald of the Edmond Fire Department in Oklahoma, Peter Bjalkendahl of Lubricum Ltd. and Rolf Bogmark of Eksjo Transport Training in Sweden, Randy Jacoby of the Precision Driving Training Center at Oklahoma State University, and Steve Westerberg of SKIDCAR SYSTEM. Also in attendance were Curt Cedergren, Anders Cedergren, and Ulf Nordin of Cedergrens MEK Verkstad, the Swedish manufacturer of SKIDCAR SYSTEM®.

A new element of this year’s conference was SKIDCAR Instructor Re-Certifications. Certification received through the five-day SKIDCAR course is valid for three years. Instructors needing to renew their certification were able to do so at the conference by participating in classroom and in-car driving sessions.

SKIDCAR Service Clinics were also offered, and are an important and popular part of every conference. Service topics covered hydraulics, electrical, and tire and wheel maintenance. Arnco tire flatproofing experts were also on-hand to answer questions regarding the appropriate fill product and details for maximum effectiveness and efficiency of SKIDCAR tires.

Following the conclusion of the conference, SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. representatives were on hand for a day to conduct demonstrations of the system to interested agencies and potential customers. The demonstration unit was installed on a Chevy Tahoe with Electronic Stability Control capabilities, allowing interested users to see the benefits of using the system on vehicles designed for skid reduction. The SKIDCAR SYSTEM is unique in its simulation of the true-to-life feeling of vehicle handling during hazardous conditions while still providing a safe learning environment. It is an ideal driver training tool on its own, or in combination with an out-of-vehicle visual simulator.

The SKIDCAR SYSTEM demonstrations were featured on the Fox 5 Morning News and can be seen at http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/23091049/index.html.

About SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC.:

SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. has operated as the exclusive distributor of SKIDCAR products for North America since 1990. SKIDCAR™ & SKIDTRUCK™ technology enable the user to adjust the co-efficient of friction (grip) to duplicate challenging driving conditions. The SKIDCAR SYSTEM consists of equipment, parts, service support and instructor training. Driver training academies and programs that require slippery surface driving experience or an understanding of vehicle dynamics learn how thought process must be used for success of controlled driving in any environment. A proprietary controller allows for adjustments to multiple traction settings with memory so control of grip is possible for each vehicle axle. This functionality gives the ability to set the vehicle to duplicate realistic driving dynamics in complete safety. SKIDCAR technology has proven to become an accepted, realistic, and economical solution for slippery surface driver training. For more information and details please call SKIDCAR SYSTEM, INC. at (702) 395-2896 or contact via e-mail at info@skidcar.com.

SkidCar System Featured on Fox 5 News

2010-04-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t seen it yet, check this out! Reporter Amy Carabba visited our SkidCar demonstration in Las Vegas and showed everyone a great example of Driver Training “what not to do.”

http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/23091049/index.html

International SKIDCAR USERS CONFERENCE

2010-04-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

The 2010 edition of the International SKIDCAR users Conference has come to a close. 75 people from 4 Countries attended. The SKIDCAR Instructor re-certifications were great, the SKIDCAR service clinics outstanding. The presentations given from Jim Hawkins from SKID-CAR UK , Peter Bjelkedal and Rolf Bogmark representing the Swedish Driver Training Association were outstanding. Municipal, Higher Education, Law Enforcement and Fire Driver Training were all represented at the International SKIDCAR Users Conference.

For those Driver Training Instructors and curriculum experts that missed the conference the wealth of ideas and reporting on new trends should not have been missed. The miss-understanding of the driver training problem in the US is great and SKIDCAR Conference brought many ideas to the for front and everyone learned and took back with them the realization that we have a great challenge to meet the problem of better driver training.

Electronic stability control and how to teach drivers how to drive with it is going to be another hurdle for us to meet. We worked a great deal with the ESC / Stabilitrac that our Tahoe is equipped with and all were impressed that new driver training standards will have to be written.

2010 International SKIDCAR Users Conference

2010-03-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

April 5-7, 2010 • Las Vegas, NV

We’re excited to announce our 2010 International SKIDCAR Users Conference! This event provides you with the opportunity to learn as well as network with other Skidcar users.

SkidCar System Inc. has made room block arrangements with The Orleans Hotel & Casino which is the Headquarters. Room block rates are $35.00 plus tax per night, single or double occupancy, based on the dates of April 5, 6, 7, 8, 2010.

Check out our website for more details! www.skidcar.com

See you there!