Accident; analysis and prevention
-
A typical hazard perception test presents participants with a single-screen view of the road ahead. This study assessed how increasing this field of view would affect hazard perception abilities. Drivers were shown video clips of driving situations containing at least one hazard either on a single screen, or with the addition of side views on two separate but adjacent screens that extended the perceived worldview to approximately 180 degrees. ⋯ A number of reasons for the three-screen advantage are discussed. This study suggests that even responses to central hazards may be under-estimated in a typical single-screen hazard perception test, and that improvements can be made for new hazard perception tests, by including visual information from the side and from behind the driver. This new methodology not only allows testing hazard perception skills in a potentially more immersive and realistic environment, but also enables to create hazard perception clips that cannot be realised in a typical single-screen test.
-
Can commentary driving produce safer drivers? Producing a verbal commentary of potential hazards during driving has long been considered by the police to improve hazard perception skills. In this study we investigated whether learner drivers would benefit from being trained to produce a commentary drive. All learners were initially assessed on a virtual route in a driving simulator that contained 9 hazards. ⋯ The results showed that the trained group had fewer crashes, reduced their speed sooner on approach to hazards, and applied pressure to the brakes sooner than untrained drivers. Conversely the untrained drivers' behaviour on approach to hazards was symptomatic of being surprised at the appearance of the hazards. The benefit of training was found to be greater for certain types of hazard than others.