DALLAS (December 4, 2012)—In places such as Dallas, which gets a mere 3 inches of snow a year, snowplow drivers live in fear of major winter storms.
The drivers aren't the only ones who worry.
That’s why highway officials in at least nine states are using sophisticated simulators to give plow drivers who don’t often plow a chance to practice snow removal in any weather.
The simulators work like a video game, recreating slick pavement, poor visibility and even children or animals bolting across the road.
In a virtual collision, drivers hear crashing noises and see a cracked windshield.
During the 2011 snowstorm in North Texas, many highways went unplowed and thousands of Super Bowl fans were stranded.
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