Road Safety and Hazard Perception
Hazard perception questions test whether you read the road ahead as a bus driver: how far you can see, how quickly a loaded coach stops, where pedestrians and cyclists appear without warning, and how weather and fatigue degrade your judgement. The examiner wants anticipation, not reaction.
Following distance and stopping
Use the two-second rule in dry conditions, double it in rain, and allow up to ten times the dry distance on ice. A laden coach at 80 km/h covers about 22 m per second, so a two-second gap is already 44 m before any braking begins. Keep larger gaps in tunnels and behind vehicles that hide the road ahead.
Bus-specific hazards
- Blind spots: the nearside mirror and the area directly in front of the windscreen hide pedestrians and cyclists.
- Tail swing: the rear of a long vehicle sweeps outward in a tight turn and can strike a stopped car or a person on the pavement.
- Door-side risk: passengers stepping off into traffic, cyclists filtering along the kerb.
- Roof and mirror height: watch low bridges, branches and shop awnings.
Vulnerable road users
Children near schools and bus stops, elderly pedestrians who misjudge approach speed, cyclists and motorcyclists filtering in slow traffic, and people with reduced mobility crossing slowly. Reduce speed early; a bus cannot stop as a car can.
Weather, light and fatigue
Aquaplaning starts when water depth exceeds tread depth; ease off the accelerator and do not brake hard. In fog use dipped headlights, never fog lights with main beam. Low winter sun and dirty windscreens hide pedestrians. Fatigue is a hazard in its own right: take the statutory break before your concentration drops.
Worked example
A coach travels at 80 km/h on a wet road. Reaction time of one second covers about 22 m. Braking distance is roughly v² ÷ (2 × μ × g); with μ = 0.4 in rain, 22.2² ÷ 7.85 ≈ 63 m. Total stopping distance ≈ 85 m - nearly double the dry figure of about 64 m (22 m reaction + 42 m braking at μ = 0.6).
Traps
- Quoting the two-second rule on a wet road.
- Watching only the vehicle in front rather than the road two or three vehicles ahead.
- Forgetting tail swing when judging a tight left turn.