A new virtual reality (VR) hazard perception test has been developed at Nottingham University to address the training gap for tractor drivers, aiming to reduce road incidents involving agricultural vehicles.
Farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in the UK according to accident rates, yet agricultural-related fatalities would increase by more than 50% if on-road fatalities with agricultural vehicles were included in the statistics.
The tractor-specific hazard test assesses agricultural drivers’ ability to identify and avoid hazards in the road ahead, using clips of 360-degree footage from real road situations captured from camera-fitted tractors.
It was trialled with tractor and car drivers revealing particularly low levels of hazard perception compared to hazard prediction, while tractor drivers who reported being involved in previous collisions performed worse on the hazard prediction element. Car drivers also outperformed tractor drivers on this metric.
Professor David Crundall says it is concerning that there is no test which focuses solely on tractors. Tractors are much heavier than cars and they handle very differently, also the position of the driver creates different blind spots to those of a car,
“This is a significant blind spot in road safety, despite the statistics showing that agricultural vehicles pose a real risk on rural roads. We hope that this test is the start of a wider commitment to provide support and resources for tractor drivers to improve safety for all road users.”
