Comfort Driving Centre is using technology to grow its business internationally, and one expanding niche is a training programme for experienced drivers in industries such as petroleum and logistics.

Called VigilVanguard, the programme uses a portable in-vehicle logging system, cameras and sensors to collect data and video-record driver performance for review and analysis, thus providing an objective measurement of driving skill and behaviour.

This portable system costs about US$50,000 per unit and can be installed into a vehicle in 10 minutes. It was conceived by Comfort Driving Centre CEO Huam Chak Khoon and developed with an Australian company in 2004.

Comfort Driving Centre is part of land transport giant ComfortDelGro Corp and will be renamed ComfortDelGro Driving Centre later this year.

'The VigilVanguard driver training system assesses and verifies a driver's skill and provides an objective summary or report card of his performance,' explains Mr Huam.

The system includes a GPS sensor for satellite tracking of the vehicle's location and position as well as an inertial sensor that detects its weight transfer. There are two external cameras, one at the front and the other at the rear, and two internal cameras, one to capture and record the driver's vehicle control and behaviour and the other to monitor his eye focus and head movement.

The system can objectively measure six areas of driver performance - the distance kept between vehicles, acceleration, braking, cornering, steering and the focus of attention.

Mr Huam says the system can be used as part of pre-employment driving competency screening (for those seeking employment as drivers), periodical driving assessment (continuous training for employed drivers), defensive driving courses, and road safety training for high-risk drivers. The last area is currently the one which Comfort Driving Centre is seeing the most demand for.

'We train many fleet drivers who are transporting inflammable or other high-risk materials,' says Mr Huam. 'This system shows the result clearly with playback and is easily accepted by the learners.'

Without the VigilVanguard system, he says drivers may sometimes blame mistakes on bad luck or instructor bias. But with detailed graphs and video recording, the driver and his assessor can objectively evaluate the process together after the experience.

'It is not training per se but an interactive discussion, which combines coaching with assessment. And it is good for picking out bad driving habits which drivers may be unaware of.'

Mr Huam says demand for the service outside Singapore is growing. For example, Comfort Driving Centre instructors regularly travel with the portable VigilVanguard unit to locations in China, East Malaysia, Brunei and South Korea.

'It is not promoted locally because of the cost,' says Mr Huam, who declined to disclose the fees involved because 'every training session is different'.

'The training is customised for each company.'

The VigilVanguard driver training system is an example of how Comfort Driving Centre has embraced technology in all areas of its car and motorcycle training courses. These include its Resource Management System, which allows systematic allocation of lesson bookings; e-learning, where the Internet is used for theory lessons; and the use of personal digital assistants or PDAs to monitor learner drivers' progress.

'Comfort Driving Centre is different because of our use of technology,' says Mr Huam. 'We don't believe in the traditional way of training. Instead, we take a holistic approach by using technology to shorten the learning process and benefit the learners.'