Answer by Researcher byrd on Wed 28 Jan 2009 - 1:10 am UTC:

Hi Gnossie, 

Driving simulation is becoming increasingly sophisticated and more widely
used in actual driving schools as well as in high schools and colleges with
driver education programs, many of which are beginning to use in-car,
PC-based and/or standalone 3D simulators to replace part of the traditional
on the street training, although these are probably priced way out of reach
of the average home user. High end simulators are also available for
research purposes both by universities, and other entities such as the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Simulators for personal and
home use are beginning to appear, however, though they haven't quite
reached the same market level as flight simulators, and most are still
geared toward gaming and racing rather than straightforward street or
highway driving and/or training. 

Nevertheless, in addition to the pricey "Simuride," (company homepage here:
http://www.aplusbsoftware.com/ ), which is quite a ground-breaking product
according to the reviews, I've located some other products that appear to
meet the criteria for a driving game or simulator that can assist the user
in learning to drive, or with at least some aspect of learning to drive.
They're listed below, somewhat arbitrarily, but roughly in order of either
ease of use or apparent usefulness for your purpose (in my opinion of
course) so be sure to look through them yourself. I hope that one or more
will meet your needs. I've also included a few just for fun or
information's sake that are probably not practical for your purpose, but
that I thought you might like to read about anyway. 

If you  need further assistance, please Request a Clarification and I'll be
happy to respond. 

Best wishes, 

Byrd

=========================================================================

Gran Turismo
Garnering rave reviews, the standard car driving simulator/game in the US
appears to be a Playstation game called Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo 4 is the
current version. Although designed as a game and primarily geared toward
racing, it is nevertheless adaptable enough to also be used as a serious
simulator. Its tagline is even "the real driving simulator." It has
realistic courses (including New York City and the Grand Canyon), controls,
cars, and car physics that provide realistic handling characteristics. It
can be used either as a standalone program or interactively online. It is
available from Amazon as well as other large retailers such as Wal-Mart,
Best Buy and Sears. Retail locations are available via links from the main
site. The price is probably closer to what you had in mind, starting at
around $20. 
http://www.us.playstation.com/GranTurismo4/   
http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/Gran_Turismo_4 

Need For Speed (NFS) Pro Street
Similar to GT4 though not as well reviewed, nor quite as feature-laden or
popular, this is a PC-based (also available for various gaming systems)
downloadable game with a free trial that also provides realistic cars,
controls and driving situations. It can be played alone or interactively
online. However, it too focuses on racing, in this case apparently touring
car racing. While not really a driving trainer, it does provide practice in
handling in various situations. Wikipedia gives a pretty good description
of the game, so I've included that link as well. 
http://www.ea.com/prostreet/news.jsp?locale=us&skip_intro=1 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_speed_prostreet 

Drivers Ed Game
Developed by Drivers Ed, a company that provides in-car and online driver
education for a number of states, this game is not a serious simulator but
provides free, fun online driving practice from an actual driving school.
There are other helpful games as well, including the "DMV Game" and the
"Drivers Ed Lottery" game. 
http://driversed.com/Games/drivers-ed-game.aspx 

Drivers Ed Online Game
Simple Shockwave-based online driver's ed game that uses the arrow keys to
provide practice in driving forward and back, turning, parallel parking,
parking in a parking space, stopping and merging. Includes "Ed," your
friendly driving instructor. 
http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/driversed.shtml# 

Driver's Ed Direct
This free online game provides practice with parking skills. 
http://www.driverseddirect.com/game/ 

Road Trip 2008
Driving simulator that uses actual terrain data and photo realistic
texturing combined with actual highway alignment data to provide a
realistic driving experience. It strives to allow the driver to feel
completely in control. Has a free demo version featuring I-70 west of
Denver. 
http://www.roadtrip2000.com/ 

Car World
"CarWorld is a small driving simulator/demo I use to test various things of
interest. It was mostly developed when I was a student. It is released with
the full source code under the GNU General Public License." Free to
download, runs on Windows, Linux and Macs. Another download sources says
it's "an interesting game where you get to try a new kind of car." 
http://carworld.sourceforge.net/ 

Streetwise
Produced by Chrysler, this "online 3D game is a third-person driving
simulator that uses new Chrysler models to propel players into a totally
immersive learning experience with real-world driving conditions in a large
city and its surrounding areas. The game includes five missions which cover
the three levels of learning permits recognized by the driver education
programs of most states. Making the right decisions and mastering basic and
advanced driving skills will allow the player to progress through the game.
Each level gives the player new liberties and new responsibilities."
http://www.chrysler.com/games/rrt_streetwise.html 

Test Drive Unlimited
Another PC-based racing game (also available for other platforms) with
online multiplayer capability, this game allows the user to shop for and
purchase their vehicle, then either participate in races, or drive Hawaiian
roads with/against other players. There are over 90 models of car to choose
from, and all are fully customizable. Doesn't exactly teach rules of the
road since it says "you set the rules, time and place," but may help with
learning control and handling. 
http://www.testdriveunlimited.com/index.html 

Profiler
This is a professional level training simulator that comes with a variety
of pricing options making it feasible for possible home use, as the
smallest licensing package starts at under $100. 
However, it is "not intended as a tutorial to teach new drivers how to
operate a motor vehicle, nor it a driver education program for teaching the
rules of the road. Profiler can be used as an assessment tool to validate
novice driver training, and is very useful as a risk management tool to
help identify drivers who may require additional training attention."
http://www.profiler-vr.com/ 

Home Simulator Company
Products include standalone driving simulator chairs and accessories for
home use. Prices are a little high, comparable to that Amazon product you
found, though not quite in the league of the driving school level
simulators, but you sure get a lot for the money with these systems,
including software, wheels, chairs and more. Check them out: 
http://www.myhomesimulator.com/products.html 

Toyota Prius Simulator
Here's a driving simulator for the Toyota Prius, presumably designed to
help customers and prospective customers learn the specifics of driving
this hybrid vehicle. It's online, interactive, helpful and fun. Take a
look: 
http://www.wind.sannet.ne.jp/m_matsu/prius/ThsSimu/index_i18n.html 

GeoQuake
This 2D game provides a top down view and several vehicles to choose from,
including cars, buses and trailers. Controls are simple, there are no
goals, and there is also a Google Maps version that lets you virtually
drive the world. 
http://geoquake.jp/en/webgame/DrivingSimulator/ 

18 Wheels of Steel and more
SCS Software produces these simulation games featuring trucks and buses,
not cars, but that come with high reviews and offer a look at another type
of road driving. There are several different games available, including "18
Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul" and "18 Wheels of Steel Haulin'." 
There is also a Euro Truck simulator and a Bus Driver game.
http://www.scssoft.com/ 

Drive Like a Kennedy
Just for fun, not a serious simulator, "avoid hitting guardrails and
traffic as you make your way to Capitol Hill while under the influence. 
http://www.heavygames.com/drivelikeakennedy/showgame.asp 

3D Driving School
Alas, this is not specific to the US but rather an international
game/simulator, providing opportunity to drive in London, Madrid, Paris and
Berlin. Included just for completeness' sake as it appears to be a great
simulator and gets rave reviews. 
http://www.3dfahrschule.de/uk_index.htm 

NADS
The title of the "world's most advanced ground vehicle simulator" probably
goes to the "National Advanced Driving Simulator" at the University of
Iowa. Not available to the general public or for purchase, but rather used
for research, still any list of car driving simulators would be incomplete
without at least a mention of this facility. Though the main simulator is a
3D full motion standalone machine, there are several other lesser
simulators including "the NADS MiniSim, a low-cost PC-based portable
simulator." The university does recruit study participants, however, so if
your friend might be interested in signing up, I've also provided a link to
that option. 
http://www.nads-sc.uiowa.edu/ 
http://www.nads-sc.uiowa.edu/forms/recruiting.htm 


And just to round things out, here are a few of the higher end products
marketed to driving schools, just for your information: 

AutoSim
http://www.autosim.no/ 

Beta Research BR Series of Driving Simulators
http://www.beta-research.com/drivingsimulator.html 

STISIM
http://www.stisimdrive.com/our-solutions/training-solutions.html 

Virage Simulation Driver Training
http://www.viragesimulation.com/en/drivingSchool.html 

XPI Simulation
http://www.xpisimulation.com/products/driving.htm