Study on hazard perception of Malaysian drivers

Abstract

Road accident is one of the top ten causes of deaths around the world. Malaysia is not an exception as in the year 2007 there were 6282 road traffic fatalities and 21363 non-fatal road traffic injuries. Research on hazard perception skill of drivers in recent years shows that the driving skill is a main factor of accident causation and accident prevention. A video-based hazard perception test and questionnaires were used to study the effect of experience, type of hazards, and type of driving settings to the hazard perception skill of Malaysian drivers. The findings of the study show that in general experienced drivers have better hazard perception than novice drivers, and experience in road accident contributes toward the development of hazard perception more significantly among novice drivers. The study also shows that both driver groups have slowest perception on hazards caused by vulnerable road users. Drivers also perceive hazards faster in rural areas compared to residential and city areas.