Hazard Perception Ability Research Articles

Age and skill differences in classifying hazardous traffic scenes

Abstract Background Poor hazard perception (HP) abilities correlate with young-inexperienced drivers’ over-representation in traffic crashes. HP ability can be examined by the degree of perceived hazard associated with a situation (i.e., how drivers rate ⧹ classify hazardousness). However, this form of evaluation was neglected in favor of measurement of perception-reaction time to perceived hazards. We argue that classification should be re-considered. Method In two similar studies, drivers with different driving experience completed two consecutive tasks: (1) observation of traffic-scene movies while pressing a response button each time they detected a hazard; and (2) observation of the same movies again and classifying them according to similarities in their hazardous situations. Hypothesis Young-inexperienced drivers classify the scenes according to similarity in actual hazards whereas more experienced drivers consider potentially hazardous situations in their classification criteria. Results In both studies young-inexperienced drivers tended to classify the movies according to similarity in their actual hazards whereas experienced drivers relied more on traffic-environment characteristics in their classification. Conclusions With experience, drivers perceive more potential hazards and relate to traffic-environment characteristics. Implications HP training programs should emphasize the tight link between traffic environment and specific hazards by including these factors when constructing the hazard perception movies database.

The Effect of Simulated Cataracts on Drivers’ Hazard Perception Ability

We investigated the extent to which simulated cataracts slow a driver's ability to anticipate potential traffic hazards, a skill that has been found to correlate with crash risk. In previous studies, we found a significant correlation between contrast sensitivity and hazard perception in a sample of older drivers. The present study allowed us to determine the causal direction of this relationship. This is important as it provides a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the higher crash risk of drivers with cataracts. One hundred eighty-six drivers with normal vision completed a validated video-based hazard perception driving test, designed to measure hazard anticipation response times in dynamic scenes. They also completed a change detection task based on traffic hazards, which was designed to measure object detection times in static scenes. Participants undertook the tasks wearing either mild or moderate cataract simulation goggles, or wearing goggle frames without lenses. Participants wearing moderate simulated cataract goggles were slower than the control group in both the hazard perception test, t(98.50) = -3.71, p < 0.001, and the hazard change detection task, t(124) = -13.86, p < 0.001. Participants with the mild simulated cataract goggles were slower than the control group in the hazard change detection task, t(114) = -4.04, p < 0.001, but not the hazard perception test, t(114) = -1.33, p = 0.19. Moderate levels of simulated cataract slowed drivers' ability to detect and anticipate traffic hazards enough to warrant road safety concerns, despite the fact that the vision of participants wearing the cataract goggles still complied with the minimum legal standard required for driving.

The Hazard Perception Ability of Older Drivers

We investigated the hazard perception ability of older drivers. A sample of 118 older drivers (65 years and older) completed a video-based hazard perception test and an assessment battery designed to measure aspects of cognitive ability, vision, and simple reaction time that might plausibly be linked to hazard perception ability. We found that hazard perception response times increased significantly with age but that this age-related increase could be accounted for by measures of contrast sensitivity and useful field of view. We found that contrast sensitivity, useful field of view, and simple reaction time could account for the variance in hazard perception, independent of one another and of individual differences in age.

Using fuzzy signal detection theory to determine why experienced and trained drivers respond faster than novices in a hazard perception test

Drivers’ hazard perception ability, as measured in video-based simulations, correlates with crash involvement, improves with experience and can be trained. We propose two alternative signal detection models that could describe individual differences in this skill. The first model states that novice drivers are poorer at discriminating more hazardous from less hazardous situations than experienced drivers. The second model proposes that novice drivers require a higher threshold of danger to be present before they notice a situation is hazardous or before they are willing to classify a situation as hazardous. We applied a technique involving fuzzy signal detection analysis to differentiate between these two models when comparing novice and experienced drivers, and trained and untrained drivers, in various video-based hazard perception measures. The data favored the second model.