Introduction
Thinking about moving from your CBT to a full motorcycle licence? If so, then you will have to take a DVSA hazard perception test. Some people think of the hazard perception test as just another hurdle in your way to getting your full licence, but actually it is an opportunity to learn a vital cognitive skill that could mean the difference between life and death on the road.
In our blog we discuss the importance of having a specific motorbike hazard perception test and how Esitu is helping with this through our motorcycle hazard perception assessments, now available in both VR and online formats.
What is hazard perception?
Hazard perception is the skill of anticipating dangers on-road in sufficient time to be able to respond safely and avoid a collision (for more details on the underlying processes involved, see our introduction to hazard perception for motorcyclists). You take the hazard perception test in a DVSA office when you sit your theory test. It involves watching 14 clips and pressing a button as quickly as possible whenever you see a hazard. There are 15 hazards in total, which means that one clip contains two hazards. If you press at the right time, you will score points. The maximum number of points you can score is 75 but you only need 44 to pass.
The scoring window varies in length across the clips, but it is always split into five even sections. If you press in the first section, you score 5-points. Press in the second section, you score 4-points, and so on. But if you press outside the scoring window, whether before or after, you will score zero points for those responses.
If you press multiple times within the scoring window, you will receive the score that you got for your first press within the scoring window, and any subsequent responses won’t change your score.
There is however an exception to this: if you press too many times on one clip, then you will automatically be given zero points, regardless of whether you pressed inside the scoring window or not. This is intended to stop people trying to cheat the test.
Why you shouldn’t (and can’t!) cheat the test
In theory, it would be easy to score highly on the test if you keep repeatedly pressing the response button throughout each clip. This is why the DVSA included a limit on the number of times you can respond to each clip before wiping out your score (and their algorithm reportedly detects repetitive patterns of responding, too).
The question is, how many responses to a clip are too many responses? In other words, how many times can I respond and still get a score? Well, this is a closely guarded secret, and the DVSA do not make this information public. This is perfectly understandable as if you explain how your cheat detector works, then people could try and cheat it! The more important question, however, is why would you want to cheat?
The hazard perception test has been designed by experts to assess how likely you are to have a crash, and the threshold of the test is set to stop the least safe drivers and riders from injuring themselves or others on the road. So, if you were able to cheat the test, you would be putting yourself and others at risk.
If you think of the hazard perception test as just another barrier to prevent you getting on the road, then it is possible that you don’t think the test is really any good. However, there are decades of research from around the world that show hazard perception tests can identify unsafe drivers and riders and relate directly to whether they have a crash or not.
But what can you do if a hazard perception test tells you that you are unsafe? Practise! There are many apps and online tests available that are free, or for a limited cost, that you can use. Every clip you watch gives you another example of danger that will improve your general understanding of road safety. With enough practice, you will pass the test. But more importantly, you will be safer on the road.
The importance of a motorbike hazard perception test
Unfortunately, the road safety world is still very car-centric and there are almost no hazard resources that are specific to motorcyclists. Even the DVSA test that you will sit to get your licence is the same one that learner drivers sit.
Where are the filtering hazards? Where is the car driver who decides to do a U-turn just as you overtake? They are not there, because the test was originally designed only with car drivers in mind.
This seems especially unfair as hazard perception skill is perhaps even more important for motorcyclists: other traffic sometimes fail to see motorcycles, the available time to respond can be much shorter when riding a motorcycle, and riders often have to pay attention to more dangers than drivers.
For example, most car drivers would not be concerned with small potholes, mud, or wet leaves on the road, but these all add to the danger for riders.
And there is little room for error. At slow to moderate speeds, the average car driver might get away with a repair bill if they miss a hazard, whereas a rider is more likely to end up with a trip to the hospital.
Given the crash statistics, which show motorcyclists to be grossly over-represented in collisions, it is difficult to understand why we don’t have a motorbike hazard perception test. This is something we have been working to address through the development of motorcycle-specific hazard perception assessments.
How Esitu can help
Here at Esitu, we are changing the status quo. We first developed and validated a motorcycle hazard perception test designed specifically for riders, delivered online through our EsituDrive platform.
More recently, through our Innovate UK-funded project, we have expanded this into motorcycle hazard perception assessments available in both online and Virtual Reality (VR) formats.
Filmed from real motorcycles using hi-definition and 360-degree video cameras, the assessments capture the riding environment both ahead and behind, with rear views integrated into the mirrors of our virtual bike. In the VR version, riders can also look around the scene in full 360 degrees, creating a more immersive and realistic experience.
This work builds on our original project developed in collaboration with the National Young Rider Forum, with funding from the Road Safety Trust. Through the Innovate UK project, and with filming support from Phoenix Motorcycle Training, we have also expanded the assessments to include more complex riding environments, including footage filmed in London, where riders are particularly vulnerable.
These assessments are now available to rider trainers across the UK. If you are currently learning to ride a motorcycle, why not ask your trainer about accessing our motorcycle hazard perception assessments, or get in touch with us directly to find out more about our VR and online options? Develop your hazard spotting skills the safe and effective way, without having to experience each near-crash first hand.
Visit our latest page to learn more about our motorbike hazard perception test and the ways in which you can be a safer driver today.
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