Hazard perception handbook - RTA

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6 66 Map out a circular route through a nearby built-up area that will take you about 5–10 minutes to complete. Include traffic lights, Stop signs and areas where you are likely to come across other road users such as pedestrians. Ask your experienced assistant to drive the circular route, with you travelling in the passenger seat. Scan the road as though you are driving. As your assistant drives the circular route, ask them to tell you where they are looking, what they are looking at and what they consider to be hazards. Questions like ‘What are you seeing?’ and ‘What are you going to do now?’ might be appropriate. This technique is called commentary driving and is used by driver trainers and some licence examiners to find out where a driver is looking, what hazards they are seeing and what they plan to do about them. It might be a bit difficult for you and your assistant to do at first, but it gets easier with practice. Are they looking at the same things as you? Do they spot hazards that you don’t? do you agree on what may be hazards? did they respond to hazards in the way that you would have? When your assistant has finished driving the route, stop somewhere safe and talk about it. Once you have talked about how you and the other driver scanned for hazards, swap positions so that you are driving. This time drive the route in the opposite direction. Ask your assistant to scan the road as though they are driving. As you drive along the route tell them where you are looking, what you are looking at and what you consider to be hazards. Stop somewhere safe and compare notes. Are you looking at the same things as your assistant? Do you spot hazards that your assistant doesn’t? Do you agree on what may be hazards? did you respond to hazards in the way your assistant would have? This technique of comparing your scanning with a more experienced driver is a very useful learning tool. Try it with a range of other drivers who vary in age and driving experience. Use it often to build and refine your scanning skills. you can never get enough scanning practice. Hazard perception handbook
Important situations Hazard perception skills are important no matter where and when you drive. The need for them never goes away. There are some situations where hazard perception skills are particularly vital for your safety and that of other road users. These situations may not specifically figure in the five most common crash types for provisional drivers (see five most common crash types for provisional drivers), but they are still important. This section summarises these. IMPORTANT HAzARd PERCEPTION SITUATIONS As a relatively new driver it is important that you learn to handle the following situations when driving: • Pedestrians on or near the road. • Cyclists. • Motorcyclists. • Dealing with trucks and buses. • Negotiating roadworks. • Crashes and breakdowns involving other vehicles or road users. • Emergency vehicles. • Animals on or near the road. COPING WITH THESE SITUATIONS Coping with these situations does not require any new set of hazard perception skills. The same basic skills still apply: • Scanning for hazards. • Keeping a safe distance from other road users. • Selecting safe gaps. As a driver you still only have the options of slowing down, stopping or changing direction to cope with hazards that you might encounter. The aim of this section is to help you apply these hazard perception skills to some of the specific driving situations that you are likely to come across. 7 Hazard perception handbook 67
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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 60 and 61: 6 58 Scanning for hazards Scanning
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 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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