The Drivotrainer was an

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. A driver's permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met, and drivers are required to ...

simulator A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

promoted by the Aetna Insurance Company and widely used in driver training classes.Aetna Legends: Drivotrainer
, Aetna As an automobile insurer since 1902, Aetna had a financial interest in promoting highway safety. The company committed to innovating new methods of driver instruction in 1935, when it introduced the "Reactometer", the first machine designed to record

motorist Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. A driver's permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met, and drivers are required to ...

reaction time Mental chronometry is the scientific study of processing speed or reaction time on cognitive tasks to infer the content, duration, and temporal sequencing of mental operations. Reaction time (RT; also referred to as "response time") is measured ...

. The Reactometer was awarded the ''Grand Prix'' at the Paris Exposition of 1937, after which it toured the United States as part of a highway safety exhibit, and was displayed at the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

. Aetna next developed the "Driverometer", a trainer which used color

motion pictures A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

to simulate actual driving conditions and the "Roadometer", which provided a short motion picture test including most phases of automobile operation and provided a scorecard. In 1951, Aetna developed the Aetna Drivotrainer, the first combination of automobile simulator and motion pictures designed for behind-the-wheel instruction in drivers' training classrooms. The Drivotrainer classroom contained 15 small single seat "Aetnacars" equipped with controls as similar as possible to those used in actual automobiles. The

gas pedal "Gas Pedal" is a song by American rapper Sage the Gemini, featuring guest vocals from fellow Bay Area rapper Iamsu!. It was released by Republic Records on March 21, 2013 as the second single from the former's debut studio album, '' Remember Me ...

changed the volume of the engine noise, the

steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel, a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and hea ...

and the

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

and brake pedals provided realistic resistance, even the seat mimicked an actual automobile seat, simulating a realistic on-road driving experience in the safety of the classroom. A motion picture projected on a large screen in front of the room provided the visual stimulus of a drive on streets and highways, while the students "drove" their simulators. Their responses were collected and recorded on a central unit for the instructor to monitor and correct. The complete course included 22 films produced by Aetna in its motion picture bureau, in collaboration with the

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

. The final exam film constituted a difficult 25-minute road test including many varied traffic situations and highway emergencies. These films were the first complete driver training course recorded on film to support classroom simulation. The fronts and sides of the Aetnacars were designed to give a general automotive impression, with nonfunctional features such as headlights and bumpers, somewhat similar to the design of

bumper car Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are ...

s and other arcade rides. Over time, their appearance was periodically updated, and later versions were equipped with simulated

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

controls, rather than clutches and manual shift levers. The company also developed advanced driver improvement programs for the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

and several states. In the late 1970s Aetna sold the Drivotrainer business to Doron Precision Systems, the company that manufactured the simulators. Aetna eventually sold its

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, re ...

and

casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

insurance business, including automobile insurance, to

The Travelers Companies The Travelers Companies, Inc., commonly known as Travelers, is an American multinational insurance company. It is the second-largest writer of U.S. commercial property casualty insurance, and the sixth-largest writer of U.S. personal insurance t ...

in 1996.

References

External links

Photograph of Drivotrainer
at UVU Archives
britishpathe.com DRIVOTRAINER
newsreel by British Pathé
youtube.com DRIVOTRAINER
newsreel on YouTube
hagerty.com The Drivotrainer was the Gran Turismo of the 1950s
an article on hagerty.com {{CVS Health, state=autocollapse Driving simulators Aetna