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Hazard perception in stage one
Hazard perception skills you need to know in stage one.
In this topic
What makes a hazard
Hazard perception and driving
The three parts of hazard perception
How you get better at hazard perception
Your hazard perception test
What makes a hazard
A hazard can be anything in your driving environment that could present a danger or risk when you drive.
Hazard perception and driving
To be a safe driver, you need be able to see, anticipate and respond to hazards and risky situations effectively.
We call this hazard perception.
Hazard perception is one of the most important skills when you drive, but will take a long time to develop well.
Well-developed hazard perception helps you assess the level of risk a hazard poses to you, take action and reduce your risk of crashing.
Good hazard perception ability is related to reduced crash risk.
The three parts of hazard perception
Hazard perception is made up of three parts that you use together to build your safe driving behaviours.
You’ll keep developing your hazard perception skills as you gain more driving experience.
The three parts of hazard perception are: see, think, do.
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See
Identify any possible risks or dangers.
You need to visually scan well ahead, to the sides, behind and around your vehicle to see what’s happening or what’s changing.
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Think
Assess the level of risk and predict what may happen.
You need to think about what the hazard means to your driving. This could mean thinking about what’s the worst thing that could happen and what options you have to respond.
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Do
Respond to the hazard to avoid or deal with it.
You need to slow down in response to the hazard to give yourself enough time to process your next move and the best way to respond.
Create a safe space between your vehicle and the hazard, or if you're unable to move away, make a decision that keeps you safe.
How you get better at hazard perception
It can take years to develop good hazard perception skills.
As you gain experience in a range of situations and environments, you’ll get better at recognising and responding to potential hazards.
The best way to get better at hazard perception is to get lots of on-road driving experience.
Your hazard perception test
It's important to practise your hazard perception skills as this will prepare you for the hazard perception test you need to complete before your driving test.
Good hazard perception is about knowing how how to see, think about and respond to hazards safely.
The hazard perception test will assess whether you have achieved the minimum competency in hazard perception to proceed to the next stage of your licence.
Coming up in stage two
Stage two is about driving on quiet, low-speed roads, using all the skills learnt in stage one.