I've got my driving Theory Test on Tuesday. Has anyone done the Hazard Perception test here? I have the general gist of it (click the button as you see a hazard develop) but what's it actually like to do and at what point does something become a hazard?

For example, there's a clip I've seen from it of a car going along a motorway, when a lorry comes down a slip-road, drives in the sliproad for a few seconds in front of the camera car, then indicates and joins the motorway. This one, at about 0:24 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLzGV1squxg

At what point are you supposed to click? When you first see the lorry? When it would be a good idea to move over so they can pull out? Or do you wait right up until it indicates?

Probrably when you first see the lorry, even when it isn't indicating its a potential hazard I guess.

Yeah, by the time the lorry starts indicating the car driver has already had to slow right down, so its too late by then, if you haven't noticed the hazad by then then you'll be in the back of the lorry.

Good luck.

I took my HP test about 10 months ago, and as far as I can remember you click as soon as the object in question is going to cause you to change speed or direction. So, in that clip you would click as soon as the lorry was in view.

For a ped crossing the road, you'd click as soon as they appear to start to move to cross the road, like the turn of their head or a change of direction.

But yeah, the most crucial thing is knowing the object will make you change speed or direction.

You have a limit of about 20clicks per clip so press like 5 times for each hazzard or potential hazzard so you get right near the top mark zone. This is what i did and i got the best mark my instructors ever seen

Don't click too early, I lost points because I was spotting hazards really early, and it didn't clearly tell me when the test would end, so on one of them I clicked too many times and scored 0.

heres a question then... The driver in that clip was already in the right hand lane... why did he move into the left hand lane just as he was coming upto the on ramp where traffic would have to merge into his lane... Crappy driver i say.

Quote from franky500 :

heres a question then... The driver in that clip was already in the right hand lane... why did he move into the left hand lane just as he was coming upto the on ramp where traffic would have to merge into his lane... Crappy driver i say.

Exactly. It's only a hazard because the camera driver is being a dunce (for science!).

I hate the hazard perception test. Things that I'd count as a hazard, it doesn't, and things that I wouldn't count as a hazard, it does. Annoying.

Bear in mind it's just things that would cause you to change your plans. So something brakes in front of you - click. Someone crosses the road - click. Someone opens a parked car door - click. Cyclist about to swerve - click.
In your example I'd click both when you first see the lorry and when it's indicating to join the carriageway - because the stupid test can't always decide what rules it wants to go with.

You're allowed 15 clicks in total, with an instant "wrong" on the 15th click, so it's best to just click on the off-chance if you see something happening. You won't pass 14 unless you're just clicking all the time.

If you'd given a bit more notice I could've sent you the software I used that comes with a load of official videos as well as a load of custom-made ones in the same vein.

Quote from franky500 :

heres a question then... The driver in that clip was already in the right hand lane... why did he move into the left hand lane just as he was coming upto the on ramp where traffic would have to merge into his lane... Crappy driver i say.

That stuck in my mind too, I guess part of the hazard perception test must be prediction the unpredictable when you yourself are driving unpredictably !

Agree, i wouldn't have moved into the left lane having seen the truck, altho if i needed to, pulling in behind the truck is safer than pulling in front of it. IIRC the MINIMUM amount of flashes for your indicators over here is 3 for merging, but it has been a while since i refamiliarized myself with the road handbook

I get you. So in that situation, I'd do one click as I saw it at the top of the slip-road, one at the point where it would be prudent to move over to let it out, and one as it indicates to move.

Also take care not to press the mouse button "rhythmically" - making a click every so often just in case there's a hazard you haven't spotted. The software can interpret normal clicking as "rhythmic" and it'll give you zero points for that clip.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO passed it

Got 50 out of 50 for the questions and 61 out of 75 for the hazard perception.

As I now understand, you click for everything that looks like it could turn into a potential hazard, and also for everything that's an immediate hazard, even if you clicked it before.

So a cyclist coming out of nowhere would be one click, but a car emerging from a side road, then pulling out in front of you would be two clicks - one as soon as you saw it, whether it was an immediate danger or not, and another as soon as you realised that it had become a hazard.

shoulda just bought your licence like most people over here did ( it seems )

Quote from Crashgate3 :

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO passed it

Gratz

Got mine next Tuesday - should be, erm, fun

I skipped a lot of this thread, so forgive me.

You click when you fist see a "hazard" or something that may develop into a hazard, before you take the test you're given a couple of videos to watch that explain what to look out for. It is really easy though, look for parked cars, people looking ready to cross, children/animals running, footballs going across the street, vehicles at junctions, on one of mine I had a fire engine approaching from a side street, guys on bikes, badly parked cars.

There are a lot of things, but it is all stuff you should have expected to see when driving anyway and when I did my test every now and then I glanced to the top left side of the monitor, trying to look in a rear view mirror, which made me feel like a daft cock.

[edit: Just noticed you already passed. Turns out I am a daft cock.]

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

There are a lot of things, but it is all stuff you should have expected to see when driving anyway and when I did my test every now and then I glanced to the top left side of the monitor, trying to look in a rear view mirror, which made me feel like a daft cock.

Haha, yeah I found myself trying to look at an imaginary mirror

Congrats on passing.

I also passed just today. 49/50 for Theory and 77% for Hazard Perception

Congratulations on passing your tests guys

I can't remember doing any of that stuff when I sat my test.

My favourite question was:

Quote :

Another driver cuts in front of you. Do you:

a) Remain calm and do nothing
b) Make a gesture with your arm
c) Sound your horn
d) Drive after them, flashing your headlights

You selected b, c and d didn't you

Quote from Crashgate3 :

Haha, yeah I found myself trying to look at an imaginary mirror

Glad I'm not the only one.

A mate a college failed his theory first time round and was bitching and moaning so much about it. He kept getting caught out by questions relating to towing and safety.

I did mine literally 3 weeks ago, and got 65/74.

I followed my instructor's advice, and it obviously had some effect.

Basically, on the clip is your approaching a junction...click...if you see a pedestrian...click...if you're turning....click etc.

You can get done for cheating by clicking too much but that's generally if your clickclickclickclick.

I wouldn't bother too much about it...I used to click too early when I saw a hazard develop into a potential hazard, so I practiced using a dvd and I simply clicked once more a second later.

are all of the clips like that? the only real hazard was the driver whos stupid enough to pull into the left lane
so i presume since we didnt see a video of his/her conception its impossible to click the moment you see a hazard develop?

Quote from Shotglass :

are all of the clips like that? the only real hazard was the driver whos stupid enough to pull into the left lane
so i presume since we didnt see a video of his/her conception its impossible to click the moment you see a hazard develop?

I think that was just an example one made by someone else with a camera in their car. The real videos have a camera mounted on the roof, with decent drivers.