Test Tips: Working With Hazard Perception

During the course of your driving lessons you should become adept at hazard perception to the point where it becomes second nature to you. This is an important part of learning how to drive, as the hazards you may face on the road are what can lead to accidents happening.

In order to test how well you are able to spot and react to these hazards, the driving theory test has a hazard perception portion that is dedicated to this area. This can often be the trickiest part of the test, especially if you have no prior experience with the software that is used, so the following tips should help you to get the passing mark:

• The hazard perception test will present you with both potential and developing hazards, with your score being determined by how quickly you spot the developing hazards and react to them with the click of a mouse button. The difference between the two is as follows:
  • A potential hazard is one that may or may not develop into something further. In some cases, these hazards will not cause any issues for the driver.
  • A developing hazard is a potential hazard that has gone beyond that stage and is not threatening to cause a direct incident for the driver where they will need to stop, slow down or change direction.
• It is the developing hazards that are used to score the test, but you will not be marked down for clicking the mouse for potential hazards. This means you should keep an eye out for potential hazards and click as soon as you spot them, perhaps adding another to be sure if it develops into something further.
• The test specifically measures your response time from when the hazard starts to develop. An early response will net you the maximum of 5 points, with that tally falling down incrementally to zero the longer you take to respond. If you click to late or fail to spot the hazard you will get 0 points, which is why it is good to click on every single potential hazard.
• In the majority of cases, there will only be one scoreable hazard in each of the 14 clips that you are shown during the test. However, one clip will contain two hazards, which means it is important that you don’t allow your attention levels to drop, even if you think you have spotted a hazard during the course of the clip you are on.
• When clicking the mouse to note that you have spotted the hazard, you will not need to move the cursor in any way. Pay attention to the bottom of the screen when you make a click, as a red flag should appear to note that it has been registered.
• Finally, remember that it is only developed hazards that score points. Don’t fall into the trap of losing your concentration after clicking on a potential hazard that never develops into anything more. remain vigilant and you should do fine.

Of course, there are a number of softwares available for those who would like to practice for themselves and your driving instructor should be able to provide you with more advice about what you should be looking out for when it comes to hazards.