Hazard perception handbook - RTA

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6 58 Scanning for hazards Scanning is a key hazard perception skill that drivers need to use to avoid crashes. you need to scan constantly for hazards when you drive. WHAT dOES SCANNING MEAN? Scanning means taking in the whole scene 360 degrees around your car. Effective scanning means constantly moving your eyes and/or your head when driving so that you can detect hazards that may arise ahead, to the sides and behind your vehicle. Research shows that new drivers are not good at scanning. They tend to focus on the road just ahead of their car. The good news is that new drivers get better at scanning with practice. This section aims to help you become better at scanning so that you can detect hazards before they become a problem for you and other road users. HOW TO SCAN fOR HAzARdS WHEN dRIvING To scan effectively you need to move your eyes, your head and perhaps your upper body to get a good view of what is going on right round your car. The picture below shows that you need a 360 degrees view (a full circle). This means that you need to look out of the windscreen and the side windows to see what is coming up ahead and to the sides. you also need to use your mirrors to see what is behind you. But your mirrors can’t cover all of the view behind. You always have blind spots – areas not covered by your mirrors. To check your blind spots you need to turn your head and look out the side windows. Blind spots will be different on each vehicle that you drive. vehicles such as vans or trucks often have more blind spots than passenger cars. Checking the blind spots with a head check (where you look over your shoulder to the sides and rear) is vital when you want to change lanes or when reversing. Hazard perception handbook
A scanning routine Experienced drivers constantly scan for hazards when driving. They do it automatically. To help you become better at scanning for hazards, here is a good routine to develop. LOOk UP TO 12 SECONdS AHEAd In a 60 km/h zone this means looking up to 200 metres ahead; on a freeway at 90 km/h it is up to 300 metres. Scanning this far ahead gives you a chance to spot hazards that are shaping up well in advance (eg a broken down truck, an accident, the road narrowing to one lane). you will also have time to avoid them. In heavy traffic, you may not be able to look 12 seconds ahead. But you are likely to be travelling more slowly which helps make up for this. Scanning far enough ahead may mean looking through the windows of vehicles ahead of you to see what is happening. By doing this you will know in advance if a car ahead is braking as you will see the brake lights come on several cars ahead. This gives you more time to brake if you have to. Scanning means that you are not just looking at the vehicle immediately in front of you. Looking ahead also means scanning from side to side for hazards on the roadside or at intersections. Hazards may be parked cars, cyclists or pedestrians. Effective scanning means keeping your eyes and/or your head moving and not concentrating on just one spot. Blind spot area Check blind spots before changing your road position. 6 Hazard perception handbook 59
Page 1:
Hazard perception handbook
Page 4 and 5:
2 Foreword When you were a learner
Page 6 and 7:
4 The three second rule ...........
Page 8 and 9:
1 6 What is the HPT? THE HAzARd PER
Page 10 and 11: 1 8 Identifying hazards ahead, behi
Page 12 and 13: 2 10 Crash patterns of provisional
Page 14 and 15: 2 12 9 percent involve running off
Page 16 and 17: 3 How the HPT works 14 The Hazard P
Page 18 and 19: 3 16 Interacting with the HPT compu
Page 20 and 21: 3 18 WHAT yOU WILL SEE AfTER THE WE
Page 22 and 23: 3 20 THE PRACTICE qUESTIONS The pra
Page 24 and 25: 3 22 If you fail, you will get spec
Page 26 and 27: 3 24 • Scanning for hazards ahead
Page 28 and 29: 4 26 Keeping space from other vehic
Page 30 and 31: 4 28 Controlling your speed SPEEd L
Page 32 and 33: 4 30 Hazard perception handbook Res
Page 34 and 35: 4 32 keeping a safe following dista
Page 36 and 37: 4 34 WHAT A SAfE fOLLOWING dISTANCE
Page 38 and 39: 4 36 keeping a safe distance to the
Page 40 and 41: 4 38 keeping a safe distance to the
Page 42 and 43: 5 40 Selecting safe gaps is a key p
Page 44 and 45: 5 42 All drivers should be looking
Page 46 and 47: 5 44 TURNING RIGHT AT A CROSS INTER
Page 48 and 49: 5 46 PRACTICE ExERCISES: SAfE GAPS
Page 50 and 51: 5 48 Safe gaps - making U-turns U-t
Page 52 and 53: 5 50 you may need less time to cros
Page 54 and 55: 5 52 fEATURES Of OvERTAkING The dif
Page 56 and 57: 5 54 Practise timing how long it ta
Page 58 and 59: 5 56 Practise this task until you c
Page 62 and 63: 6 60 Blind spot area do not drive i
Page 64 and 65: 6 62 Smart scanning When you are sc
Page 66 and 67: 6 64 AvOIdING fATIGUE fatigue (bein
Page 68 and 69: 6 66 Map out a circular route throu
Page 70 and 71: 7 68 Pedestrians, cyclists and moto
Page 72 and 73: 7 70 Give all cyclists plenty of ro
Page 74 and 75: 7 72 3 sec gap. 5 sec gap. Hazard p
Page 76 and 77: 7 74 Scan ahead for roadwork signs.
Page 78 and 79: 7 76 Animals on the road you might
Page 80 and 81: 8 78 Expecting the unexpected Road
Page 82 and 83: 8 80 • Check for pedestrians, cyc
Page 84 and 85: 8 82 A few final words about hazard
Page 86 and 87: 8 84 Apply these skills effectively
Page 88 and 89: 9 86 P2 Licence - provisional licen
Page 90: 10 88 S Safe gap, definition ......
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