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Road Rules Foundation
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Hazard Perception
Reading the Clues
Most hazards give warning before they appear. The ball comes out before the child. Experienced drivers are not faster at reacting. They are reading an earlier signal. The Swedish Theory Book calls this selective perception: your brain cannot assess everything you see, so it chooses what to attend to, and experience teaches it to choose the clues.
Some clues worth learning to see:
| The clue | What it may be announcing |
|---|---|
| A ball, a skipping rope, school uniforms near the road | A child about to run out |
| Brake lights two or three vehicles ahead | A stop reaching you in seconds |
| A crowd at the roadside, a conductor at the door | A matatu about to pull in, or passengers about to step out |
| Someone sitting in a parked car, a head moving | A door about to open (the handbook's specific warning) |
| A herder at the roadside | Cattle that may already be crossing further on |
| A bodaboda rider looking over their shoulder | A sudden change of lane or direction |
| Front wheels of a car at a junction creeping forward | A driver about to pull out in front of you |
The list will never be complete, so the curriculum gives you a question instead of a longer list. Ask it continuously, especially where the road gets busy:
"What is the worst thing that could happen here, and what would I do?"
It is not pessimism. It is planning. A driver who has already answered that question when the child appears doesn't need to think; they only need to act on a decision already made.
Key takeaways
- Most hazards announce themselves: the ball before the child, the brake lights before the stop. Hazard perception is reading the announcement.
- Keep asking "What is the worst thing that could happen here, and what would I do?" so the decision is made before you need it.
Quick check
Driving slowly past a row of houses, you see a football roll into the road ahead. What is the most important thing it tells you?