Three Reasons Why Your Hazard Perception Test is Important

When compared to the general theory test and your practical exam, the hazard perception test is a fairly new addition to the driving spectrum. Introduced in 2002 and making use of new computer technology, the test examines your ability to spot hazards on the road, using a simple click mechanism to show the system that you have seen the hazard and thus will be able to respond to it if the same thing were to occur when you are actually out on the road.

There are a number of reasons why this test is so important, some of which we will examine here.

Safety

Being able to spot hazards on or around the road is vitally important to becoming a safe driver, but it’s not exactly something that you want to encounter in person when you first start taking your lessons. Of course, you will develop these skills over time, but when you are first starting out you are going to find your driving instructor informing you of hazards that you may not have noticed without their help.

The hazard perception tests offers you the opportunity to test these skills in a safe environment, without you having to go out on the road looking for hazards yourself. In fact, it is a good idea to get yourself a practice version of the test early on in your driving lessons so that you can get a better understanding of the things you need to look out for on the road, thus making your practical driving all the smoother as a result.

Understanding Dangerous Situations

When you are in the middle of a practical driving lesson, you are often trying to take so much in that it can be difficult to fully understand why a particular situation presents a hazard to you or other road users. It is only when you sit back and consider the situation that you will begin to see the potential outcomes of not considering the hazard and why it is important to keep those ramifications in mind in the future.

The hazard perception test and related study materials allow you to focus more completely on this very important aspect of driving. Instead of encountering a hazard and then continuing on with a lesson, you will instead be looking at nothing but hazards, making sure to keep a special eye out for them, This will be beneficial once you actually get back in the car, as you will have trained your mind to keep an eye out for situations that may not have even triggered a reaction previously.

Developing Anticipation

When you are out on the road you expect all other road users and pedestrians to act in a certain way. Unfortunately, not everybody takes the various rules of the road into account at all times, which means that you often need to expect the unexpected when it comes to your driving.

The hazard perception tests demonstrates this to you perhaps more completely than any other aspect of the test. It will show you how people often act in ways that you would not expect, thus training your mind to expect the unexpected.