Recent evidence in the road safety research literature indicates that skills in hazard perception, visual search and attention may be developing executive functions in young novice drivers before the age of 25 years, contributing to their unintentional risk taking behaviour and subsequent high crash rates. The present research aimed to investigate these skills, whether they are predictive of each other, and whether hazard perception can be improved through road commentary training. Twenty-two young novice drivers and eight experienced drivers were recruited as participants in this study. The experienced drivers performed significantly better than the novice drivers on the hazard detection task that was specifically designed for the study. Their visual search skills were also examined and compared using the Visual Search and Attention Test, with the experienced drivers performing significantly better than the novice drivers. Interestingly, a significant positive correlation was found between the scores of the participants on the hazard detection task and the Visual Search and Attention Test which may indicate that the hazard detection skills can be predicted. The novice driver group who received 12 trials of video based road commentary training significantly improved in their hazard detection skills, suggesting that video based road commentary could be an effective road safety intervention for young novice drivers and if developed into a more comprehensive programme, holds promise for future implementation into the New Zealand Graduated Driver Licensing System. The results also hold promise for future investigation into the use of the Visual Search and Attention Test as a predictor of hazard perception skills in novice drivers.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlates and predictors of hazard perception skill among drivers. Specifically, it was examined whether novice and experienced drivers would differ from each other in terms of hazard perception skill. In addition, the role of personality factors and driving skills in predicting hazard perception among drivers was inspected. Drivers&rsquo / hazard perception skills were assessed by using both a computer-based hazard perception latency test (Turkish Hazard Perception Test in Traffic) which consists 31 video clips recorded in real traffic, and a self-report measure (Self-Reported Hazard Perception Scale). Following the completion of hazard perception measures, Turkish drivers (N = 135 / 90 males, 45 females) also responded to the measures of driving skills, big five personality factors, and sensation seeking. The results of the study indicated that both computer-based and self-reported hazard perception measures significantly differentiated novice and experienced drivers after controlling for the effects of age. Results of the regression analyses demonstrated that computer-based hazard perception skills were significantly predicted by perceptual motor skills subscale of the Driving Skill Inventory. Self-reported hazard perception skill was also strongly predicted by age and perceptual motor skills. The results further revealed that sensation seeking and big five traits did not predict either the computer-based or the self-reported hazard perception skill among drivers. It was concluded that the effects of personality factors could be more observable in on-road assessment of hazard perception. However, the significant difference between novice and experienced drivers showed that hazard perception training should be included to the driver-training curriculum in Turkey as an intervention to promote young novice drivers safety. The findings of the present study were argued in the light of the literature and in relation to the implications for traffic safety in Turkey. Additionally, limitations of the study and suggestions for future researches were discussed.