Motum Expands Virtual Driver Training Applications
03rd August 2026
Australian simulation technology company Motum Simulation is expanding the use of its advanced driver training technology, with five mobile simulators being developed for Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA) and a new program targeting learner drivers in secondary schools. The CFA project will provide volunteer firefighters with access to immersive training for high-risk situations that can be difficult, dangerous or impractical to reproduce in real-world conditions. Five trailer-based simulators are being developed, with the first two scheduled for delivery in August and the remaining three expected to enter service before December. They will travel throughout metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Training scenarios can include Code 1 emergency responses with lights and sirens, smoke-covered roads, falling trees, vehicle rollover risks and challenging off-road terrain. The simulators combine Motum’s True Motion six-degree-of-freedom technology and synthetic training environment with virtual reality headsets, eye tracking and performance analytics. Instructors can assess hazard perception, mirror checking, situational awareness and decision-making while introducing unexpected events in real time.
“Simulation allows those scenarios to be experienced over and over again without exposing volunteer firefighters, instructors or expensive emergency vehicles to unnecessary risk,” Motum managing director Steve Hoinville said.
Once operational, the five units will form one of Australia’s largest mobile simulation fleets dedicated to emergency services driver education. Motum is now taking similar technology into Australian secondary schools through its Learner Driver Schools Programme. The initiative uses full-motion simulators to expose students to traffic situations, changing road conditions, distractions, hazards and emergency scenarios before they encounter them on public roads.
St Joseph’s College Geelong has signed on as an early adopter, while Westbourne Grammar School is exploring a trial. Hoinville said simulation allowed students to experience situations that would be unsafe or impractical to recreate through conventional driver education. Students can practise recognising hazards, managing distractions and making split-second decisions in a controlled environment.
The school program is designed to complement areas including Health and Physical Education, STEM and Digital Technologies and Personal and Social Capability. Together, the CFA and schools' initiatives demonstrate how Motum is extending technology already used across emergency services, defence, mining and heavy transport into new areas of driver education and safety.