This paper presents a study of the hypothesis that different measures of driver behaviour, generally viewed as part of `hazard perception', might be more effectively assessed separately. 168 female and 147 male drivers, aged 17 to 62, were assessed at a wide range of venues; they were engaged in a larger study collecting a wide range of measurements. The test equipment was a computer-based digital video system, and a second computer to record response latencies where appropriate. The paper gives details of the following four tests: (1) the close-following test; (2) the gap acceptance test; (3) the hazard perception test; and (4) the overtaking test. Several principal components analyses of the results were conducted. The observed results indicate that close following, gap acceptance, and overtaking can easily be interpreted as factors distinct from hazard perception, although some researchers view the first two factors as part of hazard perception.
Abstract