When driving a car, one of the most important aspects to keep in mind is safety. A huge part of learning to drive is understanding how you can safely drive your vehicle without being a hazard to other people, but also to spot hazards and manoeuvre your vehicle so that you can avoid any potential dangers before it happens.
This is the basis of the Hazard Perception Test; a test that all drivers need to pass if they want to earn their driving license.
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What is the Hazard Perception Test?
The Hazard Perception Test is a part of the Theory Test that learning drivers have to take to pass their driving test and earn their license. The Theory Test uses questions and answers to test your knowledge of driving, but the Hazard Perception Test uses computer analysis to test how quickly you react to certain situations in a series of videos.
The videos are made to replicate real-world situations that could pose a potential threat on the road. They’re the kind of situations that drivers face every day and it’s your job to spot the threats and confirm them as quickly as possible. Therefore, the object of the test is to have learning drivers develop an awareness of dangerous situations before they escalate.
The test will require you to use a computer, but you don’t need to be proficient in technology. All it requires is that you can move around a mouse cursor and click. This can still be a little problematic for some learning drivers, but there are opportunities to practice the Hazard Perception Test before officially taking it. We highly suggest that you look at different resources on the internet, such as this guide, to help you pass it.
Tips for passing the Hazard Perception Test on your first try
How does the test work?
The test will show a series of fourteen different video clips. These will feature common scenes that drivers experience. In each scene, there will be at least one hazard that you need to spot and identify. In general, a hazard is defined as something that requires you to take action or else there could be dangerous consequences.
Since the definition of hazard is rather vague, here are a couple of examples;
- Pedestrians that are about to cross the road
- Areas where your vision is obscured due to stationary objects
- Cars that could be hidden behind various objects
- Differences in height that obscure other cars or vehicles
- Adverse weather conditions that could affect the control of your vehicle
- The glare of the sun that could be blinding you
- Children playing on the pavement
As you can see, there are many different things that could count as hazards. It’s important to consider any potential situation where a hazard could occur.
What should I be clicking?
In general, you should click any location where you believe a hazard could develop. However, you shouldn’t click in random places or click multiple times in a single location. There is a click limit during the Hazard Perception Test and if you exceed it, you could lose marks and fail the test.
How many developing hazards are there in each video?
There will be between one to two developing hazards in each video.
How many points can I earn?
In general, you can earn up to a maximum of five points per video clip. This means there are a total of 75 points that you can earn.
How many points do I need to pass?
You’ll need to score at least 44 out of 75 points. You’ll be given a score depending on how quickly you can identify a developing hazard.
Summary
In short, the hazard perception test isn’t something with straightforward right and wrong answers. There are multiple right answers for each video, hence why you only need a bit over half of the maximum points to pass. To summarise, here are the most important tips to help you pass on your first try:
- Learn to identify what a developing hazard is.
- Don’t randomly click on the video as it could give you a low score.
- Practice the test several times to get used to the process.
- Click as soon as you see something that could be a developing hazard.
- Remember that each clip has up to two hazards.
- Since you have a lot of clicks to use, don’t hesitate to click things that you assume are hazards.
- Remember that you don’t need the maximum amount of points–you only need 44 out of 75!
Photo by Huey Images on Unsplash
