Safe driving and hazard perception
Safe driving and hazard perception
This domain tests whether you see a hazard before it becomes an emergency, and whether your speed, gap and observation give you time to react.
The observation cycle
Mirror, signal, manoeuvre - in that order, every time. Before manoeuvring, check the blind spot over your shoulder, not just the mirrors. Scan far ahead, middle distance and near, and sweep junctions, driveways and rows of parked cars for movement.
Reading hazards
A ball rolling into the road means a child will probably follow: brake early and be ready to stop rather than swerving into oncoming traffic. Brake lights three cars ahead, a gap in a row of parked cars, a bus indicating at a stop, or a driver's head turning all predict a movement. At night, dip your headlights for oncoming traffic and slow so you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
Speed and stopping
A speed limit is a maximum, not a target: choose a speed that lets you stop within the distance you can see. Total stopping distance is thinking distance plus braking distance, and braking distance rises with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples it. Wet, dusty or gravel-covered roads add more again.
Worked example
On a wet road at 50 km/h you see a pedestrian step out 25 m ahead. In the wet, braking distance is much longer than the dry figure, so you brake firmly, keep the wheels rolling, and steer only if braking alone cannot avoid the collision - swerving at that distance risks a head-on crash.
Traps
Swerving instead of braking. Keeping a two-second gap in rain. Fixating on the hazard and missing the oncoming lane. Driving tired or using a handheld phone, both of which lengthen reaction time more than candidates expect.