New research conducted in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus aims to develop a Malaysian hazard perception test similar to the one that forms part of the driver licensing curriculum in the UK.
In Malaysia, in 2008 373,047 road accidents and 6,527 fatalities (one death per 2,200 registered vehicles/every 3,900 people) were recorded. In contrast, in the same year the UK reports only 2538 driving fatalities (one death per 13,500 registered vehicles/ every 24,200 people). Road accidents represent the fifth highest cause of death in Malaysia per year, and road safety is a pressing social concern.
Hazard perception (HP) skills have gained interest in the UK, as the ability to identify dangerous behaviours in other road users has been shown to be a crucial aspect of effective driving. HP tests typically involve participants watching videos of driving scenes filmed from a driver’s viewpoint, and pressing a response button when they see a hazard developing. It has been shown that the time taken to detect hazards on lab-based HP tests is associated with actual accident rates. Their efficacy in the UK is supported by research which found that accidents were reduced in the first year of driving for those who had taken the HP test, compared with those who had not.
The project, which commenced in June, will directly compare hazard perception skills in Malaysian and UK drivers, to assess whether the diagnostic ability of UK tests is potentially transferable to a Malaysian setting. The study will be a cross-campus collaboration between Dr. Elizabeth Sheppard in the School of Psychology (Malaysia) and Dr. David Crundall in the School of Psychology (UK), capitalising on expertise at the two sites.
Dr. Sheppard notes that, ‘As a UK national myself, when I came to Malaysia I was immediately struck by the contrast in driver behaviour between the two countries, despite the rules of the road being largely the same. There is evidence that hazard perception testing has resulted in improvements in road safety in the UK and if something similar could be achieved here in Malaysia, that would be a fantastic outcome.”
In addition to measures of HP ability, eye-movements of participants whilst watching the videos will be recorded using state-of-the-art eye-tracking technology. This will enable the researchers to determine the underlying visual strategies participants use.
CEO & Provost of the Malaysia Campus, Professor Ian Pashby, added, 'This kind of collaboration really highlights Nottingham’s unique ability to maximise both our own research resources across our campuses and to engage in innovative, international cross-cultural research.'
Dr. Sheppard and Dr. Crundall also recently appeared on BFM to talk about their research. You can download the podcast of their conversation as well as other podcasts from the School of Psychology.
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For more information contact
Dr. Elizabeth Sheppard, Elizabeth.sheppard@nottingham.edu.my
Tel: +603 8924 8239
Related links:
http://www.nottingham.edu.my/Psychology/index.aspx
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/psychology/index.aspx
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as “the embodiment of the modern international university", has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
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Posted on 18th July 2011