driving simulation

Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to follow the established road and traffic laws in the location they are driving. The word driving, has etymology dating back to the 15th century and has developed as what driving has encompassed has changed from working animals in the 15th to automobiles in the 1800s. Driving skills have also developed since the 15th century with physical, mental and safety skills being required to drive. This evolution of the skills required to drive have been accompanied by the introduction of driving laws which relate to not only the driver but the driveability of a car.

Etymology

The origin of the term ''driver'', as recorded from the 15th century, refers to the occupation of driving working animals, especially pack horses or draft horses. The verb ' ''to drive'' ' in origin means "to force to move, to impel by physical force". It is first recorded of electric railway drivers in 1889 and of a ''motor-car driver'' in 1896. Early alternatives were ''motorneer'', ''motor-man'', ''motor-driver'' or ''motorist''. French favors "''conducteur''" (the English equivalent, "''conductor''", being used—from the 1830s—not of the driver but of the person in charge of passengers and collecting fares), while German influenced areas adopted ''Fahrer'' (used of coach-drivers in the 18th century, but shortened about 1900 from the compound ''Kraftwagen Fahrer''), and the verbs ''führen, lenken, steuern''—all with a meaning "steer, guide, navigate"—translating to ''conduire''.

Introduction of the automobile

The world's first long-distance road trip by automobile was in August 1888 when Bertha Benz, wife of ''Benz Patent-Motorwagen'' inventor Karl Benz, drove Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, and returned, in the third experimental Benz motor car, which had a maximum speed of , with her two teenage sons Richard and Eugen but without the consent and knowledge of her husband. She had said she wanted to visit her mother, but also intended to generate publicity for her husband's invention, which had only been taken on short test drives before.

In 1899, F. O. Stanley and his wife, Flora, drove their ''Stanley Steamer'' automobile, sometimes called a ''locomobile'', to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire in the United States to generate publicity for their automobile. The journey took over two hours (not counting time to add more water); the descent was accomplished by putting the engine in low gear and much braking.

Driving skills

Driving in traffic is more than just knowing how to operate the mechanisms which control the vehicle; it requires knowing how to apply the rules of the road (which ensures safe and efficient sharing with other users). An effective driver also has an intuitive understanding of the basics of vehicle handling and can drive responsibly.

Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as ''riding'', such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road. Driving over a long distance is referred to as a road trip.

In some countries, a basic both practical and theoretical knowledge of the rules of the road is assessed with a driving test(s) and those who pass are issued with a driving license.

Physical skill

A driver must have physical skills to be able to control direction, acceleration, and deceleration. For motor vehicles, the detailed tasks include:
* Proper hand placement and seating position
* Starting the vehicle's engine with the starting system
* Setting the transmission to the correct gear
* Depressing the pedals with one's feet to accelerate, slow and stop the vehicle and
** If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission, to modulate the clutch
* Steering the vehicle's direction with the steering wheel
* Applying brake pressure to slow or stop the vehicle
* Operating other important ancillary devices such as the indicators, headlights