IT looks like a console from an amusement arcade. A wooden frame, wide enough for a single seat and complete with roof, houses the controls of a Vauxhall Nova.

Three video screens serve as a windscreen and the windows from the driver's and passenger's doors. An illuminated dashboard helps to recreate the sensation of night driving.

Steering wheel, handbrake, gear lever and pedals function as they would in a real car, but are connected to sensors linked to a computer programme.

But this isn't a game. The driving simulator at the BSM driving school in Bournemouth is an important tool to help learner drivers take to the road safely.

The French-made device has been at the Christchurch Road office for five years, and some of the data collected from it is sent for analysis to road safety experts at Nottingham University.

Gemma Sutter, 17, from Southbourne, is trying the simulator for the first time. The A-Level student received her provisional licence on her birthday and has not driven before.

"I'm really nervous. If I do it wrong now, what happens when I'm on the road?" said Gemma.

Michael Knight, the centre's business manager, says the simulator provides a head start for pupils who complete the recommended course of tuition.

"When the learner has completed six hours in the simulator, they should be able to get into a school car with an instructor and drive away," said Mr Knight.

"We recommend that all new drivers use it. It saves the learner money, and gets them driving quicker," he added.

Pupils are encouraged to establish their own confidence with the simulator, though staff are on hand to give advice.

Learners select an experience level to create a personal profile that will record their progress. A short film talks pupils through the basic concepts.

"The idea is to give drivers confidence. At the beginning, people struggle with disciplines. You must do certain things in a certain order," said Mr Knight.

Gemma starts with a programme that teaches "moving off". Visual and verbal prompts drill a sequence of disciplines that ends with switching off the ignition.

On-screen meters illustrate the pressure Gemma applies to the clutch and accelerator pedals. Voice prompts encourage her to apply more or less pressure.

The driver's view lifts as Gemma finds the clutch's "bite" point, just as it would in a real car. The essential sequence of other basic manoeuvres is underlined by repetition.

"By the time pupils get into the school car, they already have their clutch control right," said Mr Knight.

Next up for Gemma is a programme to teach her the essential skill of steering. A tendency to cross her arms is soon overcome.

Gemma performs figures of eight around marker posts and after a couple of wayward attempts is soon negotiating the obstacles with confidence.

More challenging driving scenarios are available from a menu of programmes that includes driving in fog, at night, and through a range of hazards that sends digital dogs and animated children chasing virtual footballs on to the road ahead of the driver.

Mr Knight says the most important discipline taught by the simulator is awareness. "The simulator instils discipline, and particularly visual awareness," he said.

The centre manager said that most people who passed their test 10 years ago would struggle to pass today.

"The Driving Standards Agency has made the test so much harder," said Mr Knight.

The number of hours under instruction required to pass has increased on average from about 25 to nearly 45 hours in the last four years, he added.

In 2002 a computer-based "hazard perception" test was added to the driving test. Candidates watch video clips and click a computer mouse to identify hazards.

Mr Knight said hazard perception was essential to safe driving.

"The words say it all. It's about being aware of everything that's going on around you, not just about what's in front," he said.

An increase in the volume of traffic has also made driving more dangerous, he pointed out.

"There are so many more cars on the road now than there were even 10 years ago," he said.

Gemma aims to pass her driving test within months, but fears a heavy workload from studying four A-levels may thwart her dream.

"I definitely want to pass by next summer, but I have things like exams that get in the way," she said.

But the simulator got the thumbs-up from the Bournemouth School for Girls pupil.

"It's been really helpful. I didn't have a clue what I was doing before," she said.

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