Hazard anticipation of young novice drivers - SWOV

1. Possible other road users on collision course that are hidden from view.
Objects such as large vehicles (e.g. lorries and buses), parked cars,
building, trees, bushes, etc. can obstruct the view. The hidden possible
other road user will only become visible at the last moment before a
crash. A child that may cross the road from between parked cars is a
latent hazard that belongs to this category. This type of latent hazards
are named covert latent hazards in this thesis;
2. Visible other road users that, due to evolving circumstances in the
environment, might act in such a way they may move into the driver's
pathway. This includes for instance a car that is waiting in a row of cars
that may pull out of this row into the other lane (e.g. because the driver
in this car gets impatient). An approaching driver in this other lane that
does not consider that this could happen may collide with the car that
pulls out. These types of latent hazards are named overt latent hazards in
this thesis;
3. Signs and precursors of hazards further ahead. For instance, this
includes an intersection just after a curve in the road with dense
vegetation on both sides of the road. The intersection only becomes
visible when the intersection is near and the stop sign at the intersection
only becomes visible at the very last moment, as the sign is partly
hidden by vegetation. Drivers that do not notice the warning sign 'stop
sign ahead' before they enter the curve, may drive too fast and will
detect the intersection too late. These drivers also will not search for the
stop sign at the intersection and possibly will not stop at the
intersection. Signs can be traffic signs (e.g. warning signs), but can also
be actions of other road users not being an overt latent hazard
themselves. The actions of these road users can predict hazardous
actions of other road users that are near to the driver. For instance,
braking lights of cars in the distance may indicate that the lead vehicle
just in front of the driver, will brake soon too. These types of hazards
(official and unofficial warning signs and action by other road that
announce latent hazards) are named precursors of hazards in this thesis.
4. Indications of circumstances that can cause loss of control. These
indications can be in the environment (e.g. a wet surface or a curve), but
can also be internal (e.g. feeling drowsy, being distracted). These
hazards are named loss of control hazards in this thesis.
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