Being able to control your car while driving and avoiding potential traffic hazards is the key to having a long, safe, driving career.  There is a way to control your vehicle and there are key elements that everyone should be aware of and always keep in the back of their mind when driving.  If you can incorporate this into your daily driving, you will be able to avoid accidents, safely navigate through treacherous terrain and inclement weather, and ensure your safety and the safety of anyone travelling with you.

When you drive you want to read the road continuously.  Pay attention to the road signs, the white lines on the road surface and any other warning signs that motorists may inadvertently leave you, such as skid marks or debris.  Always make sure that you leave enough room between yourself and other drivers so that you can stop in plenty of time to avoid colliding with them.  Also, try to always have an alternative escape route planned if stopping is not an option.

Speeds are constantly increasing on the roadways and many people will speed when they shouldn’t.  Higher speeds should be limited to where the traffic conditions, visibility, and law permit it and nowhere else.  Space is once again a factor and it is recommended that while travelling at 70 MPH you need to have a stopping distance that is four times more than if you were travelling at 30 MPH.  Always make sure that your brakes are in good working condition before leaving your home.  Utilize down gear shifting to slow down when you can to avoid excess wear and tear on your vehicle.

The Hazard Perception test is part of the theory portion of your written driver’s exam.  This exam will test how well you can identify potential hazards and reaction time.  You must score at least 44 on the test in order to pass it.  Your score is based on how quickly you identify the hazard in the short video clip that you will be shown.  There are fifteen hazards to find over fourteen clips.  Yes, that means one clip has two hazards that must be properly identified.

During this test, you will sit down at a computer screen that will play a short tutorial telling you how to take the test.  You are allowed to repeat the tutorial if necessary.  When you start the test you will be presented with a freeze frame of the ‘road’ you will be travelling.  Examine the road carefully and when it starts to move, click on your mouse when you identify a developing hazard.  A red flag will appear across the bottom of the screen to alert you that your choice was registered.  Be forewarned that a clip could contain more than one potential hazard.  You want to identify and click on the hazard that will materialize into something dangerous involving other drivers.

The score on this test is based on how quickly you recognize the developing hazard and click on the mouse.  The time frame for selection is from the earliest point the hazard could be recognized through the time your ‘vehicle’ arrives at it and takes evasive action.  This time frame is divided into five equal sections and the sooner you identify the hazard, the higher you score.

In order to get your driver’s license you may have to demonstrate the ability to parallel park your vehicle.  This controlling of your vehicle’s forward and backward motion requires you to be able to steer, use your mirrors, and possibly change position in your seat for the best view.  Your tires and how they grip the road when you speed up, brake and steer also has a lot to do with positioning your car in any situation.  In order to steer well, you should always be seated properly in the driver’s seat and use the hand over hand method of turning the wheel.

Parking is not the only time you need to be concerned with how your vehicle is positioned.  Traversing corners on country roads is a good example.  On some lanes you can see far enough ahead that you will be able to take the turn at the posted speed limit.  On other roads you will need to slow down due to poor visibility.  Curves and turns have a vanishing point – the point where offside and nearside converge – and being able to assess any potential hazard will allow you to position your vehicle properly in the turn.

When you are driving you always need to make sure that all four wheels of your vehicle remain on the road surface to keep the vehicle stable.  Make sure you take your bends as close to the right or left hand side of the road as applicable and try not to cross the centre in case of oncoming traffic.  Steer well clear of cyclists and horse back riders if at all possible and slow right down when you pass them. Driving safely and knowing where your car is positioned at all times will keep you from getting involved in an accident.

As more and more people are taking to the roads, driving practices and principles have had to change to keep up with the times.  Over the last ten years alone everything from the speed limit, to the volume of traffic, to road signs, has had to change to keep up to date.  The classroom and driving instruction people take in order to get their driver’s license has even changed to incorporate the increased flow of traffic and what could be perceived as potentially hazardous driving conditions.

Any citizen wanting to get their driver’s license should make sure the driving school they are interested in using follows an approved syllabus and tests what the student has learned.  This instruction should cover eighteen different areas of learning that are required and will show that learners can handle themselves in each area before being allowed to take the practical test.

Today student drivers need to pass not only the written test and practical driving test, but they also have to pass what is known as a video-clip hazard perception test.  The student sits at a computer screen as if they were actually driving the automobile.  They are presented with fifteen hazards that they must identify, one per clip, with the exception of one clip which will have two hazards.  If the student passes all three of their tests, they will be rewarded with the issuance of a driver’s license and afforded the privileges of being able to drive an automobile without needing to be accompanied by another adult.

Driving is a problem-solving activity where we must coordinate both our mental and physical skills in order to be able to accomplish our task.  A good driver has learned how to concentrate, observe, think ahead and react, and handle their vehicle all within the space of a few seconds.  This is enough to make any new driver nervous.  We are taught many of these skills by our driving instructor who points out hazards, how to perceive things, and how to assess risk to ourselves and our vehicles in an effort to avoid driving hazards.

Once we start to drive alone we become more relaxed and gain confidence, and experience.  We discover our strengths and weaknesses and try to remember everything we are taught.  We need to make sure we are prepared for every potential problem and we need to remember that a road is never really empty.  In order to do that we must make sure that we can see the road clearly, be alert and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and keep our concentration on our driving.

When trying to watch out for hazards, there are some questions we may subconsciously ask ourselves as we drive.  Is the hazard a curve in the road that we cannot see beyond?  Could it be a pedestrian or another vehicle?  How fast are others driving?  How fast am I driving?  What if you come to a combination of hazards?  You must always be on the watch for potential hazards in the road when you are driving.  To miss one may be a fatal mistake that could’ve been avoided.

The danger at a roundabout is traffic coming from the right, or is it? Is there a car ahead of you that can see something that you can’t? When you were at the Bill Plant School of Driving you will have been told by your qualified instructor to collect as much information about the road conditions as you approach the roundabout. You will scan the road ahead, both to the right and the left, not forgetting your mirrors. Keep a good gap between you and the car ahead and keep your eye on him, he may not go when you think he should and this is the cause of more classic rear end shunts than anything else.

Many drivers approach roundabouts planning to stop if they have to, this is not a good idea as often they have to speed up if another vehicle turns on to the roundabout. A far better way to drive and mental outlook is approach the roundabout thinking “plan to stop but look to go”.

It’s always the other guy’s fault, or is it? There is no such thing as the perfect driver, be absolutely honest haven’t you, at some stage when you were driving made an error which someone else then made safe? We all have, there is no driver out there that can say hand on heart that they have never made a mistake.

Being prepared mentally for what may happen next when you are on the road, rather than relying on reactions to sort out a problem when it has already arisen, is a key factor in safe driving and riding. Drivers who were prepared to see themselves as part of the potential hazard were less likely to be involved in a crash or a near miss than the drivers who just “blamed” other road users around them. Using the Hazard Perception Test section on our site will prepare you for most hazards encountered. So make a point of helping out the other road users who might do the same for you. Remember a bit of give and take goes a long way.

The debate is opening up about the Hazard Perception element of the driving theory test in some quarters, with correspondence appearing in some national newspapers that this is just too difficult. One person, writing in the Daily Telegraph, complained that his daughter had passed the multi choice part without the slightest difficulty on numerous occasions only to fail the hazard perception part, complaining that the “scoring window” is very brief and she was tempted to click at every opportunity.

We cannot comment on this particular case, but no doubt many will draw their own conclusions. What we are able to say is that with your driving instructors at Bill Plant offering their guidance and using the online Hazard Perception Section in our web pages, our success rate does not mirror that of this unfortunate girl.

Motoring and road safety groups have called on the government to introduce medical check-ups and assessments of vision and dementia for motorists aged over 70 years. Drivers of pensionable age are the fastest growing group but they are becoming controversial in some quarters, but just how dangerous are they. Last year drivers over 70 years of Age who were involved in accidents amounted to 11,000, against 54,337 for drivers under the age of 24 years, so are older drivers being targeted unfairly?

Driving is more complex and demanding than it used to be with more traffic on the roads and new technology such as in-car navigation systems.  Factors dictating road risk can be said to be; hazard perception, speed choice, driving violation and fatigue, so irrespective of age we should all allow plenty of time to complete our journey and planning our route in advance. We should all expect the unexpected, be alert and anticipate situations that may present themselves ahead.

How many times do we see cars coming towards us with one of the headlights misaligned, usually the offside one, creating dangerous dazzle. Recent roadside checks have shown that a massive 88% of the fifty cars checked had one or more of its headlights out of alignment. Sometimes this can be as simple as extra passengers in the back of the car or some heavy items that have been put into the boot, this problem can be easily rectified in most modern cars by the in car height adjustment, but how many driver no that this exists, or can be bothered to do it?

Another problem is the motor vehicle that has one of the headlights which has failed, a situation that is illegal and can carry penalties if not rectified. All drivers should check that all their lights are working before driving at night and ensure that the aim of them is correct, adjustments can be carried out at most garages for a small fee, you car will fail its MOT inspection if the lights are not working properly.

You can hopefully now see the importance of the hazard preception test when you take your driving test.