Lessons menu
Road Rules Foundation
Road Signs & Markings
Speed & Stopping Distances
Vehicle Knowledge
Human Factors
Load Safety
Adverse Conditions
Hazard Perception
Hazard Perception · Topic 1 of 6 · ~1 min read
Static and Developing Hazards
Everything this course has taught about stopping (reaction distance, braking distance, grip) starts at one moment: the moment you notice the hazard. Physics fixes everything after that moment. The only part you control is how early it comes. This lesson is about moving that moment earlier. It covers what a hazard is, the difference between one that is simply there and one that is starting to happen, and the clues that let you see it coming before it arrives.
In this lesson you'll learn
- What counts as a hazard, and why spotting one early matters more than reacting fast
- How to read static hazards from the road ahead before you reach them
- How to spot the moment a static hazard starts to develop
- How to read the clues that announce a hazard before it appears
- 1. What a Hazard IsDefine a hazard in terms of what it makes you do, and explain why seeing it early is worth more than reacting fast.
- 2. Static HazardsIdentify static hazards from road features and signs in advance, and plan speed and position for them.
- 3. Developing Hazardsecognise the moment a static or potential hazard begins to move into your path, and respond while it is still developing.
- 4. Reading the CluesUse the clues that precede a hazard to predict it before it appears, and ask the standing question that turns looking into predicting.