BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The Kern County Sheriff's Department has a training program aimed at improving deputies driving skills to keep them and the public safe.

In the history of the Kern County Sheriff's Department more deputies have been killed behind the wheel than by a gun. It’s the leading cause of peace officer deaths in the U.S. too.

Every two years deputies are required under state law to go through vehicle training to make sure their driving skills are sufficient.

Crashes accounted for nearly half of all peace officer deaths the last two years. That trend is continuing in 2008 with 22 of the 41 nationwide police deaths occurring in traffic collisions.

In 2007, 83 of the 181 peace officer deaths were in traffic accidents, that’s 45 percent. In 2006, 74 of 151 peace officer deaths were in traffic accidents.

About 115 people die every day, that’s one death every 13 minutes.

In recent years Kern County has not been immune, losing deputies Daniel Archuleta in 2004 and Joe Hudnall in 2006.

SIMULATORS PROVIDE SCENARIOS FOR REAL-WORLD DRIVING

Avoiding such crashes is what motivates Senior Deputy Scott Burnett, the lead emergency vehicle operator course instructor or EVOC instructor for the sheriff's department. “When I retire and don't have any other deputies die in a traffic accident, I will be a very happy man," Burnett said.

The simulators they use are where all sheriff's officers, academy cadets and even officers from other departments come to train.

Burnett gives even the most seasoned officers numerous scenarios, many that come out of real life, so they can hone the skills they learn while in the academy.

The simulator shows officers that they’re not always in control. While the simulator plays a bit like a video game, it does makes the people who use it think about “what if?” scenarios.

“If I can save them from happening, that's the greatest thing in the world for me," said Burnett. Burnett said there is no real statistical proof that the simulators help in the real world, only the anecdotes he hears from officers who relate close calls in the field to their training.

The department is slated to get new simulators. But that's currently being held up due to a state commission.

FROM SIMULATOR TO BEHIND-THE-WHEEL SESSIONS

The simulator is obviously very different from a real car but there are a handful of lessons taken from the computer to patrol.

Steering position at four and six o'clock on the wheel and always wear a seat belt.

After officers complete the simulator portion of their biennial training, they hit the parking lot at Stramler Park, which is not a standard driving test. “As opposed to the simulators, which is them making the proper decisions on their driving, this actually starts working on honing in their skills behind the wheel," Burnett said.

One of the practice vehicles, the skid car, prepares officers for facing extreme winter weather. It’s a typical patrol unit except for a Scandinavian-built hydraulic system. “It gives us the ability to introduce skids -- both front wheel skids and rear wheel skids -- and get the officers used to correcting out of those,” Burnett said.

The more figure eights that are done, the more challenging the skids are to control. The entire time ABC23’s Chris Van Horne was in the skid car they were traveling between 15 and 20 mph.

The speed feels a lot faster and the simulator really doesn't do the G Forces justice.

Officers must also be able to multitask while driving. And while the training may be fun, it’s taken seriously and is an important part of sheriff's department training.