Dr. Pierro Hirsch joins Virage Simulation

Montreal, 9 January 2006 – Virage Simulation announced today that Dr. Pierro Hirsch has joined its team to lead the development of the pedagogical material for driver training, evaluation and research.

Pierro has a degree from the University of California and a Masters and Doctorate from the University of Montreal in Public Health. His doctoral research focused on risk factors associated with young driver crashes during the first year after they obtain their driver’s permit. He has presented the results of this and other research projects at national and international conferences and he is the author of several peer-reviewed scientific articles.

In addition, Pierro has more than 30 years experience in the world of driver training as a teacher of novice and advanced drivers, a crash-prevention program developer, and a co-owner of a driving school.

“We are pleased to welcome Pierro to our team. said Remi Quimper, president, Virage Simulation. ‘With his scientific approach to driver education and his knowledge of the driver training, Pierro is a great complement to our team.”

“Virage brings a powerful new tool to driver education, evaluation and research.” Says Dr. Hirsch. “My experience over the past decade studying thousands of novice driver records has taught me the difficulty of evaluating what is arguably the single most important crash risk factor, the driver’s behaviour immediately preceding a crash event. The Virage simulator will permit us to accurately reproduce high-risk driving scenarios and to objectively measure driving behavior within those scenarios. I am proud to be part of this dynamic team and to be working on a project that could have a significant impact in road safety.”

Virage Simulation Inc. is a privately owned company with its headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Virage Simulation designs and manufactures car simulator equipment and provides services to support the research activities and the driving school industry.

Contacts and information:

Dr. Pierro Hirsch
Pierro.Hirsch@VirageSimulation.com
www.VirageSimulation.com