Hazard perception

Hazard perception is the early noticing, recognising and predicting potential dangerous situations. Hazard perception is part of the theory exam at the CBR. In the official CBR theory exam, you will get 25 questions about hazard perception. With each question you get three possible answers: brake, release the accelerator or do nothing.

Keep in mind the traffic rules, traffic signs and markings on the road when answering the hazard perception questions. Also keep in mind the conditions of the road, weather conditions and everyone's safety. You will be shown the car's driven speed and the potential use of the indicator in the images. Besides that, you will see the situation behind the car in the rearview mirror. You will get 8 seconds to answer these questions on the real CBR theory exam.

Brake

You choose the answer 'brake' when you need to drastically slow down or when you have to stop. You almost always choose brake if there suddenly are:

Huge speed differences between road users
Traffic jams, congestions or blockages
Handicapped people, children or cyclists
Road narrowing, narrow roads, oncoming traffic or obstacles
Unclear or dangerous situations
Busy (shopping) areas, school areas

Gevaarherkenning voorbeeld remmen — You are approaching an unclear intersection. Your speed is too high to see traffic coming from the right. This is why you choose to brake.

Release the accelerator

You choose the answer 'release the accelerator' if there is possible danger, that is not visible yet. Think of a row of parked cars for example. There is a possibility that a child will appear. By releasing the accelerator now, you will be prepared to brake if necessary.

You also choose release the accelerator if braking is too high of a risk. For example, when it is snowing or when you have another vehicle closely behind you.

Gevaarherkenning voorbeeld gas loslaten — The traffic sign warns you for poor road surface. The road is narrow and has trees on either side. You choose to release the accelerator and drive with a lower speed until the road surface improves. Braking is not necessary because there is no immediate danger. However, you can expect danger if you keep driving at this speed on a poor road surface.

Do nothing

There is nothing happening. Are you driving at the right speed and is the situation completely safe? Then you choose the answer 'do nothing'.

Gevaarherkenning voorbeeld niets doen — The speed you are driving is safe for this situation. there is no direct or indirect danger. You do not have to do anything.

Practise hazard perception

In our car theory course, you can practise hazard perception in a separate chapter with its own practice test. Besides that, we offer practice exams where you can also practise hazard perception. To be able to pass this part, it is best to have seen as many situations as possible. As a result, you will know exactly in which situation you need to brake, release the accelerator or when to do nothing.

Study hazard perception

iTheorie has made a separate chapter to practise hazard perception. In the chapter you can find explanations on every answer possibility, with multiple examples. With these examples we discuss the situation, so that you know exactly when to brake, release the accelerator or when to do nothing. Just as with the other chapters, you round off the chapter with a test. Even after the test, you can keep revising the explanation and examples in the chapter. That way, after some practice, you will automatically learn what to look for on the official CBR theory exam. This way you will pass the hazard perception section with the course from iTheorie. You can easily order the course online.

Tips for hazard perception

To increase the success rate, we have gathered some tips for hazard perception:

Look closely at the traffic signs and other traffic rules which apply to the situation. For example, do you have to give priority? Braking to be able to give priority is then naturally the only option.
Keep in mind the weather and road conditions. Are they bad? Chances are that you need to brake to make the situation safer again.
Are there children, toys, the elderly or animals near you? Even then the correct answer is usually braking.
Keep in mind your speed during driving. Are you approaching a sharp bend and are you driving too fast? Then you have to make sure to decelerate.