Hazard Perception and Responding by Motorcyclists – Background and Literature Review

This project is the first stage of a larger program of research into hazard perception training for motorcyclists. Future stages of the project will investigate what type of environment can be used to teach hazard perception and responding, for example a simulator environment or combination of off-road and simulator training. This report summarises the research that has been conducted into hazard perception and responding, assesses what can be learnt from motorcycle crash data and describes current motorcycle simulators. The second stage 1 report (Wallace, Haworth & Regan, 2005) examines the best training methods for teaching hazard perception and responding skills to motorcycle riders. The report identified that motorcycle riders must deal with the same hazards as car drivers, as well as the additional hazard of failure by car drivers to give way. The vehicle control skills involved in riding a motorcycle are more complex than driving a car and failure to correctly implement a response to a hazard may in itself be dangerous. There has been a lot of research into hazard perception by car drivers but few studies have addressed hazard perception and responding by motorcycle riders. The research has shown that novice car drivers are slower or less likely to detect and respond to hazards and that car drivers who are slower at detecting hazards in a driving simulator report having more accidents. No motorcyclist specific hazard perception test has been developed or introduced anywhere in the world. The tests developed for car drivers may not give sufficient emphasis to hazards specific to motorcyclists, particularly road surface hazards, and do not adequately measure responding. It is likely that these tests will underestimate any differences between novice and experienced riders. Motorcycle simulators have been developed and are a mandatory part of training in Japan. Simulators are best used as part of a comprehensive rider education system that includes classroom training, skills practice using real vehicles, with simulation used to present situations that are too dangerous to practice using a real vehicle.