VR Hazard Perception Test currently under evaluation

Nottingham Trent University is currently testing a virtual reality version of the Hazard Perception Test, developed as part of research into the next generation of hazard perception assessment and training materials.

The VR hazard perception test app – funded by the Road Safety Trust, RAC Foundation and DVSA – is available to download free of charge from the Oculus Store as part of its effectiveness evaluation. Once they’ve downloaded the app, users are invited to participate in a research study that asks their opinions about the future of hazard perception assessment.

Participants are asked to provide some details about their driving history, before going on to complete two tests designed to assess and train ‘hazard prediction’ – described by the researchers as ‘the skill that lies at the heart of hazard perception’.

The clips occlude (stop) just as the hazard begins to appear and viewers are then asked, ‘What happens next?’. If they are looking in the right place at the right time, they can then choose the correct answer.

The research study takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, after which the library of feedback clips is unlocked and users can view them at their leisure while improving their awareness of hazardous situations on the road.