How does the hazard perception test work

The hazard perception test is the second part of the driving theory test, and it was introduced towards the end of 2002.

There are two parts to the theory test, and the second part of the test is the hazard perception. In order to pass the theory test in its entirety, the candidate must pass the hazard perception as well as the question based part of the theory test.

Hazard perception is a key part of safety on the roads and being aware of different types of hazards could prevent you from being in a road traffic accident and having to make road accident claims.

In order to have the best chance of passing the hazard part of the test, there is some responsibility on your instructor. They should help you think about hazards and identify hazards as they occur whilst you are driving in your practical lessons, and help you to start thinking in those terms, and scanning the road to become aware of potential or actual hazards in real time whilst you are driving.

In addition, it can help to go through sample hazard perception clips, and to use these as training to help you get used to the sort of material you will see in the test itself (note that the hazard perception material you will see in the actual test is different to those we have on site).

By looking at sample clips, identifying the hazards in the process, you can both get used to the sort of material you might expect to see in the test itself, whilst at the same time getting used to the format; this should increase your chances of performing well in this section of the test.

In the actual test you will undertake, there will be 14 clips, each has one hazard to find with the exception of a single clip that has two hazards to find. This means that there are fifteen hazards in total to find in this test. Clips last around a minute in total.

Related Articles...

driving theory test
How to pass the hazard perception test
First you need to understand just what a hazard is. Broadly, it is any element that can introduce risk into the driving scenario. There are various different types of hazard that are...

What causes accidents: junctions
An alarmingly high proportion of accidents happen in and around junctions. This is because of the combination of busy roads, traffic that can be nose to tail and people crossing all sorts of...

The risk of accidents - some statistics
No-one wants to think that they will be involved in an accident, but being aware that an accident could happen to you and the statistics is important. Accidents happen to ordinary people, so anyone...

More on Motorway Driving
Signs that let you know there is a motorway ahead are rectangular, and they have a green background. This shows that they are information signs on a primary road. The part with the reference...

What to do when you sell a vehicle
When you sell a vehicle, there are some things that you have to do straight away. As soon as the vehicle is sold you have to tell the DVLA, which stands for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency,...

The automatic transmission explained
Whilst the automatic transmission system is very clever, you still need to have some control over it, and this is where the selector lever comes into play, which is in the place that you would have...

Motorway Driving Tips
Driving on a motorway for the first time can be both exciting and a little daunting - exciting as it is something new whilst daunting as you won't have experienced driving on a motorway before...

The day of the theory test
On the day of the theory test you may well feel nervous. As with any test or examination of any kind this is of course natural as everybody is anxious to do their best and to pass the...

What causes accidents: pulling out
One of the most typically seen accident that happens between vehicles in and around towns and city centres is the situation where two or more roads join each other. At these there will be...

Online Driving Theory
Why use an online driving theory website when there are also some books in publication that will help you study for your theory test? Well, there are several advantages to online driving theory,...


Back to home page of driving theory test questions