Hazard Perception

How good is your hazard perception when driving? Would you like to test it from the safety of your armchair? What's it like giving commentary on the drive? These in-car videos should answer that and hopefully prove interesting and educational at the same time.

This is the first bit of video I shot properly with my latest camera setup (Aiptek DV8900) - a fairly short 4 to 5 mile drive from the supermarket. But what I realised when I watched it back was just how many hazards there were along the route when you counted them up. I find driving in supermarket car-parks and unfamiliar cities a little more pressure at the best of times, because the senses have to be heightened and the hazard risk is that much greater. The useful thing about this video was that I could actually count how thick and fast they came! And, indeed, it's thick and fast.

So - I thought i would produce two versions of this short video. One 'silent' one, which is just a video of the drive - you can watch this one and see how many hazards you spot. (By the way - this includes "potential hazards" too - i.e. elements of the unknown that are useful to anticipate and could develop into a real and present hazard). The best thing to do is sit with a blank piece of paper and make tally marks for every hazard you think you see - a hazard, of course, being something that poses or potentially poses a safety risk to you, your vehicle or someone else.

Obviously try to do that watching the video once only for the first time - otherwise you are kidding yourself that you see more than you really did!

Once you've done that - try the second video - this time I am providing a commentary on everything I see (although actually it's not absolutely everything, it's not possible to cram enough words in to describe everything)...

What do you think? Did you spot the same hazards as me? Did I miss any? How many did you get? Once you think you have an answer, you can scroll further down this page and compare scores...

Hazards in the video

This simple clip of video is perfect for just demonstrating how many hazards are thrown at a driver, even under fairly ordinary light traffic conditions. It goes to show just how much brain processing is required in order to drive truly safely - when you work out the number of hazards per second, the number is fairly staggering, and just goes to show how a momentary lapse of concentration while driving can provide to be a disaster.

Here are the statistics I calculated - you may disagree slightly with the numbers - but I'm fairly certain I can identify and justify each of these hazards - so if anything, these numbers could be higher.

• 1st Video segment (upto 40mph zone): length approx 2 minutes; no. of hazards 46; average hazard rate: 1 hazard per 2.6 seconds.
• 2nd Video segment (main road): length approx 2 minutes 30; no. of hazards 46 (co-incidence!); average hazard rate: 1 hazard per 3.2 seconds.
• Overall Video: length 4 minutes 30; no. of hazards 92; average hazard rate: 1 hazard per 2.9 seconds.

These numbers are pretty remarkable - although i shouldn't be surprised, as I know full well that there are many many constant hazards while driving, and most people simple don't spot them. But if you've ever heard (or given) proper driving commentary, then you know it is just a constant stream of information and very difficult to actually fit enough words in to describe everything.

Anyway - I hope you found these clips enlightening.

ps. yes - i know I said "trolleys on the right" at the start of the video, when I meant "left". And yes, it was a bit cheeky to comment on the Police driver's driving... but I expect high standards :-)