[squirrel_hunter]

For my sins I am learning to drive a cage. And for this I have to do a Theory and Hazard Perception Test, I believe that new riders have to take this also, so I went out this weekend and bought the DSA DVD for it. First off I forgot how annoying Suzi Perry is and just how bad a presenter she is, I also forgot how condescending the DSA is to motorcyclists and how much of a bad light we are seen in. But thats not the point right now. This rant is about how pointless the Hazard Perception Test is.

From what the DVD has shown me I need to click on anything and everything that may and or may not be a hazard. This includes everything from empty junctions, to legally parked cars, to people stood on the pavement as at anytime something may happen.

We have a joke for this at work, its called 'the Gazelle in the Server Room', lets plan for every single eventuality as you never know when a Gazelle might break in an run a mock among the hardware. At some point you have to accept there there is some risk and this Hazard Perception Test fails to acknowledge this. At a guess I would say the writer of the test was Chicken Licken as they are obviously still waiting and are prepared for the sky to fall down.

I get all the real 'red circle' hazards long before they have made me stop as it were and I just acknowledge the fact that there is a warning sign or junction ahead. Its just like I'm riding, I take the information on board and use it, that does not mean it is a hazard, it is simply information. But I think I have developed a fool proof system to pass this test, and that is to click for a 'hazard' every two seconds as that seams to get me top marks.