Computers provide new hazard test for learners

'Independent' reporter takes the computer-simulated motoring examination - with surprising results

An additional hi-tech component to the driving test which is aimed at improving road safety standards was launched by the Government yesterday.

The hazard perception examination, announced by the Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, will ask learner drivers to identify potential risks on the roads by watching a computer screen and clicking on a mouse. It will be included in the theory section of the driving test.

Candidates will be shown 14 clips showing real road scenes and potential hazards and given points for the speed with which they respond to a dangerous situation.

Mr Darling said the purpose of the test was to make new drivers more aware of road hazards. "Too many accidents involve new drivers and it is essential that they are aware of the road hazards from the very start," he said.

"Quite simply every day of this year nine or 10 people will be killed and that level is unacceptable, as is the 40,000 drivers who are injured. This is a fundamental addition to the driving exam and will help improve road safety. Many new drivers will greatly welcome it as it is for their own good as well as that of other road users."

The additional test comes after figures showed that one in five of Britain's new drivers have an accident in the first 12 months of passing their test.

Research showing that new drivers take up to two seconds longer to recognise dangerous situations than more experienced motorists also raised concern over the effectiveness of the current driving examination.

The new test, which has been developed with the Driving Standards Agency, is the first of its kind in the world.

Gary Austin, the agency's chief executive, said: "Hazard perception testing will encourage learner drivers to spend more time developing danger awareness skills that are second nature to more experienced drivers."

Both the theory and hazard perception tests will run alongside the practical driving exam, with candidates having to pass all three parts to become eligible for a driving licence. The £5m programme, which took three years to develop, will be introduced from 14 November and the initial pass rate will be 38 out of 75 marks for car, moped and motorcycle candidates, though this threshold will increase to 44 by next September.

Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA, welcomed the new test. "We think this is a valuable test for the future of road safety," he said. "It will help cut accident figures because learner drivers won't go out in their cars being so naive.

"We have long supported this type of test and lobbied hard for it to be introduced at the same time as the theory test. Giving young drivers the skills to spot potential hazards on the road by taking part in a test should be an effective way of improving road safety."

But Paul Atkinson, managing director of BSM, Britain's biggest driving school, warned that the system would have to be continually reviewed. "The potential risk is that the candidate is given lots of 'ammunition' and can click many times," he said. "The programmes we are developing will not be giving such a generous ability to click," he said.

The new exam will cost candidates an extra £2.50 increasing the price of the theory test to £18, in addition to £38 for the practical test.

How blind cheating put me in the driving seat

By Paul Peachey

I cheated the system to pass a new computer-simulation element in the standard driving test with near-maximum marks while keeping my eyes shut yesterday.

My dubious achievement raises questions over the effectiveness of the "hazard perception" test, which Alistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, says is a "fundamental addition" to the driving test.

The swiftness with which a candidate responds by clicking on a computer mouse after identifying a problem, such as a person running on to the road or a car emerging from a side turning, translates into a sliding points scale from five to one. On a scaled-down version of the test shown at the launch yesterday, The Independent failed miserably on the first attempt, adopting conventional methods and scoring a pitiful 11 out of 25. The pass mark was 14.

On a second attempt, with eyes shut and clicking 20 times at regular intervals during each film clip, the paper scored 22 out of 25, one point more than Mr Darling, who also tried the exercise in front of ranks of cameras (with his eyes open). He scored 24 when he tried the system for the first time last week.

Officials from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) denied that the results indicated a flaw in the test.

Robin Cummins, the DSA's chief driving instructor, said: "That was only a small amount of clips. If you were doing the 14, it would be an unwise thing to do. It wouldn't work for everybody, I'm sure we would have a big failure rate."

Officials said anti-cheating mechanisms had been built into the programme, including penalties for those who made fast, repeated taps on the mouse. Gordon Court, the information technology director for the DSA, said there was no "fundamental flaw" but that a "tweak" might be needed. "You were probably just lucky. Another couple of people tried to cheat and got zero marks."

Not everyone was convinced by the new test. A learner driver, Tatiana Moufarrige said it was confusing. "The computer does not let you explain what you are doing. It's not clear what you are supposed to judge as a hazard and what you should leave alone. Having something in the car during the practical test would be more effective," said Ms Moufarrige, 17, of west London.

Candidates must pass the simulation exercise and a multiple-choice test to get through the theory paper, introduced in 1996.