Initiative details
Young drivers (up to 24 years of age) and drivers with less than 2 years of experience are heavily represented in statistics on traffic accidents with severe consequences. In 2018–2020, 20% of all accidents were caused by such drivers.
Until 2021, driving school students prepared for the final exams in order to be able to answer questions that were focused on road traffic regulations. However, despite answering the test questions correctly, the student often did not understand the meaning of many of them. This had a negative impact on the correct application of road traffic regulations on the road.
Therefore since 2021, we have been working with other organizations in order to push through a fundamental change in the concept of test questions during the final exams and adjust them to the technological progress in the area of visualization in real traffic situations, with increased focus on how road users perceive hazards, from the perspective of both car drivers and motorcyclists. The project outputs are gradually being implemented in the final exams by the Ministry of Transport and this activity will eventually affect at least 100 000 novice drivers every year. However, we know that the project outputs will reach other target groups as well (companies and the public) thanks to the project promotion in the media. Every year, the project will appeal to hundreds of thousands more drivers in the middle age group. E.g. parents of novice drivers.
Until 2021, driving school students prepared for the final exams in order to be able to answer questions that were focused on road traffic regulations. However, despite answering the test questions correctly, the student often did not understand the meaning of many of them. This had a negative impact on the correct application of road traffic regulations on the road.
Therefore since 2021, we have been working with other organizations in order to push through a fundamental change in the concept of test questions during the final exams and adjust them to the technological progress in the area of visualization in real traffic situations, with increased focus on how road users perceive hazards, from the perspective of both car drivers and motorcyclists. The project outputs are gradually being implemented in the final exams by the Ministry of Transport and this activity will eventually affect at least 100 000 novice drivers every year. However, we know that the project outputs will reach other target groups as well (companies and the public) thanks to the project promotion in the media. Every year, the project will appeal to hundreds of thousands more drivers in the middle age group. E.g. parents of novice drivers.
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Young adults 17-25
Adults
Parents
Seniors
Company employees
Car drivers
Car drivers – professional
Educational staff
Public transport
Topic
Knowledge building and sharing
Create awareness
Organisation details
New test questions for drivers
Association
Czech Republic
Prague
Contact name
Libor Budina
Telephone number
+420727901494
lbudina@koop.cz
Website
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
Czech Insurers’ Bureau – Vize 0 member, complete financing of the project
Driving School Association – Vize 0 member and their representative in the Vize 0 Expert Council, professional cooperation, script creation and professional guarantee, promotion of the project outputs among driving schools in the Czech Republic
Ministry of Transport – Vize 0 member, professional guarantee and provision of outputs via the Ministry’s IT system for application during final exams, involvement in the creation of scripts covering various traffic situations
Czech Police – Vize 0 member, professional guarantee and involvement in the creation of scripts covering various traffic situations
Expert advisers – representatives of non-profit organizations and examiners during the final driving test
Driving School Association – Vize 0 member and their representative in the Vize 0 Expert Council, professional cooperation, script creation and professional guarantee, promotion of the project outputs among driving schools in the Czech Republic
Ministry of Transport – Vize 0 member, professional guarantee and provision of outputs via the Ministry’s IT system for application during final exams, involvement in the creation of scripts covering various traffic situations
Czech Police – Vize 0 member, professional guarantee and involvement in the creation of scripts covering various traffic situations
Expert advisers – representatives of non-profit organizations and examiners during the final driving test
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
Extension of the content of the driving test in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport in the following stages and activities:
Result no. 1 A complete set of new-generation test questions for driving licence applicants.
The questions as well as other educational applications for result no. 2 will be gradually posted on the portal of the Ministry of Transport at http://etesty2.mdcr.cz.
Period 1. 1. 2022 – 31. 12. 2023
Note: At the end of 2021, several pilot questions were delivered for the pilot testing. Given the good experience, the project was extended and implemented on a larger scale in 2022 and 2023.
a) Creation of text (static) questions – 200 pcs
b) Creation of dynamic questions (dynamic traffic situations) – 120 pcs
c) Creation of animations for the purposes of Hazard Perception and Hazard Prediction in order to create dynamic questions – 30 animations, two versions of each – 60 pcs in total
d) Creation of videos for the purposes of Hazard Perception and Hazard Prediction in order to create dynamic questions – 6 videos, 3 versions of each – 18 pcs in total)
Result no. 2 (educational applications)
Educational application Hazard Perception and Prediction (videos, animations, interactive applications Hazard Perception and Prediction – videos and animations in the educational application, including methodical instructions for work with the application and final videos.
Czech version of the website www.hazardperception.cz (motorcycles + drivers of passenger cars) and www.noveotazky.cz (motorcycles + drivers of passenger cars), http://aplikace.ucmeseprezit.cz/dev2/#/ (only motorcycles for targeted communication with motorcyclists)
Partial English version for presentation abroad:
https://www.hazardperception.eu/
(drivers of passenger cars, including motorcyclists)
https://www.letslearntosurvive.com/
(motorcyclists)
Creation in the first half of 2022 and gradual addition of traffic situations by the end of 2023.
Result no. 3
Project promotion
a) Ongoing publication of the project outcomes via a press conference held by the Ministry of Transport (4 times a year) with representatives of Czech media
b) Presentation abroad (Abu Dhabi – Mobility Conference – January 2023, presentation at EFA (European Driving Schools Association) and CIECA in Vienna 2023
c) Communication with the media and promotion of the project throughout the public and internet campaign
Result no. 1 A complete set of new-generation test questions for driving licence applicants.
The questions as well as other educational applications for result no. 2 will be gradually posted on the portal of the Ministry of Transport at http://etesty2.mdcr.cz.
Period 1. 1. 2022 – 31. 12. 2023
Note: At the end of 2021, several pilot questions were delivered for the pilot testing. Given the good experience, the project was extended and implemented on a larger scale in 2022 and 2023.
a) Creation of text (static) questions – 200 pcs
b) Creation of dynamic questions (dynamic traffic situations) – 120 pcs
c) Creation of animations for the purposes of Hazard Perception and Hazard Prediction in order to create dynamic questions – 30 animations, two versions of each – 60 pcs in total
d) Creation of videos for the purposes of Hazard Perception and Hazard Prediction in order to create dynamic questions – 6 videos, 3 versions of each – 18 pcs in total)
Result no. 2 (educational applications)
Educational application Hazard Perception and Prediction (videos, animations, interactive applications Hazard Perception and Prediction – videos and animations in the educational application, including methodical instructions for work with the application and final videos.
Czech version of the website www.hazardperception.cz (motorcycles + drivers of passenger cars) and www.noveotazky.cz (motorcycles + drivers of passenger cars), http://aplikace.ucmeseprezit.cz/dev2/#/ (only motorcycles for targeted communication with motorcyclists)
Partial English version for presentation abroad:
https://www.hazardperception.eu/
(drivers of passenger cars, including motorcyclists)
https://www.letslearntosurvive.com/
(motorcyclists)
Creation in the first half of 2022 and gradual addition of traffic situations by the end of 2023.
Result no. 3
Project promotion
a) Ongoing publication of the project outcomes via a press conference held by the Ministry of Transport (4 times a year) with representatives of Czech media
b) Presentation abroad (Abu Dhabi – Mobility Conference – January 2023, presentation at EFA (European Driving Schools Association) and CIECA in Vienna 2023
c) Communication with the media and promotion of the project throughout the public and internet campaign
Evaluation
What has been the effect of the activities?
In the area of the Hazard Perception test (one of the main project outputs), there are several studies that prove the effectiveness of the hazard perception and prediction test when distinguishing between dangerous and less dangerous drivers (e.g. Watts and Quimby, 1979; McKenna and Crick, 1991; Deery, 1999; Wallis and Horswill, 2007; Horswill) et al., 2008; Pradhan et al., 2009; Horswill et al., 2013; Scialfa et al., 2011; Crundall, 2016; Ventsislavova et al., 2019) and reducing some types of collisions in Great Britain (Wells et al., 2008).
In 2002, Great Britain included the hazard perception test as part of the driving test. It turned out that the share of accidents caused by young drivers was reduced (Wells et al., 2008), with an estimated reduction by more than 2000 injuries a year (Horswill et al. 2016). Likewise, as stated above, the assessment of the perception of possible risks in real road traffic is supported by Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving licenses.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, the project outputs will reach at least hundreds of thousands of novice drivers. Every year, this group in the Czech Republic takes tests for driving license B and partly A. We have also separated the results for the group of motorcyclists being a more specific target group in order to be able to communicate with them separately and draw their attention to specific risks for this group. As we communicate the project to the general public, it has had a great impact also beyond the hundreds of thousands of novice drivers. The value of media outputs (AVE) in 2022 reached more than CZK 350 mil. (EUR 13.5 mil.) – finances that would have been spend on the purchase of media space. In this context, the project, directly or indirectly, appealed to over 2 mil. more people.
Since 2021, the statistics have seen a more significant decrease in the accident rate of young drivers in the Czech Republic throughout the year for the first time. In 2022, this was 11% for drivers with less than 2 years of experience. 52 deadly crashes happened, while In the previous years this number was around 70–80. We are not able to say whether it was influenced by the project, but we partly believe so because we tried to employ the new pilot test questions already in 2021. Of course, there were more projects in the Czech Republic aimed at young drivers, but the advantage of this project is the fact that its output affected every single novice driver. This group requires constant attention as out of the total number of drivers, the group of novice drivers includes mere 3% but still causes many accidents.
In 2002, Great Britain included the hazard perception test as part of the driving test. It turned out that the share of accidents caused by young drivers was reduced (Wells et al., 2008), with an estimated reduction by more than 2000 injuries a year (Horswill et al. 2016). Likewise, as stated above, the assessment of the perception of possible risks in real road traffic is supported by Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving licenses.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, the project outputs will reach at least hundreds of thousands of novice drivers. Every year, this group in the Czech Republic takes tests for driving license B and partly A. We have also separated the results for the group of motorcyclists being a more specific target group in order to be able to communicate with them separately and draw their attention to specific risks for this group. As we communicate the project to the general public, it has had a great impact also beyond the hundreds of thousands of novice drivers. The value of media outputs (AVE) in 2022 reached more than CZK 350 mil. (EUR 13.5 mil.) – finances that would have been spend on the purchase of media space. In this context, the project, directly or indirectly, appealed to over 2 mil. more people.
Since 2021, the statistics have seen a more significant decrease in the accident rate of young drivers in the Czech Republic throughout the year for the first time. In 2022, this was 11% for drivers with less than 2 years of experience. 52 deadly crashes happened, while In the previous years this number was around 70–80. We are not able to say whether it was influenced by the project, but we partly believe so because we tried to employ the new pilot test questions already in 2021. Of course, there were more projects in the Czech Republic aimed at young drivers, but the advantage of this project is the fact that its output affected every single novice driver. This group requires constant attention as out of the total number of drivers, the group of novice drivers includes mere 3% but still causes many accidents.
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
Our initiative improves the existing state of preparation and testing of applicants for driving licence A and B through a gradual and significant change in the testing system using new technologies based on the hazard perception and hazard prediction test. The introduction of similar tests in Great Britain led to a significant reduction in the number of accidents caused by inexperienced drivers. Estimates indicate that with the testing, the number of injuries as a result of a traffic accident in Great Britain was reduced by 1000+ a year, saving up to 90 mil. pounds (Horswill, 2016). The Czech Ministry, together with the Palacký University Olomouc, concluded that based on research into the current state, experience from abroad and SWOT analysis, it would be useful to introduce the Hazard Perception Test in the Czech Republic as well, with a potential to reduce the accident rate in young drivers by 25%.
Our approach is basically similar to that adopted in Great Britain, but we have based the test questions on a game system which is even more challenging for the users in order to better prepare them for real traffic situations. In Great Britain, only video sequences from real traffic are used. We try to combine 2 more different approaches in the area of visualisation – video sequences with a script ready (during the shooting, we close off the road and try to model specific and dangerous situations that would be difficult to obtain in real traffic or that would be very hard and too expensive to prepare). We also use modern animations to achieve diverse scripts that could be more affordable in terms of the price/performance ratio.
The Slovak Chamber of Driving Schools is already using some of the test questions and we are currently preparing a model that could be used in other countries with different background as well, e.g. countries in the Middle East. If any other organizations or countries want to use the system, they have to cooperate with the state administration to put them into practice when testing new applicants so as to make the greatest impact. However, they can also be used to raise awareness among the public in general. Our project can be an inspiration and some of the questions can be adopted or some of them adjusted to suit the local needs.
Another advantage and an example of good practice of the project is the fact that we tried to connect several organizations and finance the project with the help of insurance companies associations. Without it, the project would not have come to life. The state sector would not modernize the test questions and in order to save money, it would just keep maintaining the current system without any modernization due to a lack of money.
Our approach is basically similar to that adopted in Great Britain, but we have based the test questions on a game system which is even more challenging for the users in order to better prepare them for real traffic situations. In Great Britain, only video sequences from real traffic are used. We try to combine 2 more different approaches in the area of visualisation – video sequences with a script ready (during the shooting, we close off the road and try to model specific and dangerous situations that would be difficult to obtain in real traffic or that would be very hard and too expensive to prepare). We also use modern animations to achieve diverse scripts that could be more affordable in terms of the price/performance ratio.
The Slovak Chamber of Driving Schools is already using some of the test questions and we are currently preparing a model that could be used in other countries with different background as well, e.g. countries in the Middle East. If any other organizations or countries want to use the system, they have to cooperate with the state administration to put them into practice when testing new applicants so as to make the greatest impact. However, they can also be used to raise awareness among the public in general. Our project can be an inspiration and some of the questions can be adopted or some of them adjusted to suit the local needs.
Another advantage and an example of good practice of the project is the fact that we tried to connect several organizations and finance the project with the help of insurance companies associations. Without it, the project would not have come to life. The state sector would not modernize the test questions and in order to save money, it would just keep maintaining the current system without any modernization due to a lack of money.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
This mainly includes regular press conferences held by the Ministry of Transport in the presence of journalists. We made sure that the topic resonates in the Czech media and spreads spontaneously on the internet in various articles and the individual outputs are available for the general public. Nonetheless, primarily, the project outputs are intended for applicants for driving license A and B. Their modified part can be found on the portal: http://etesty2.mdcr.cz
And on two more websites www.noveotazky.cz and http://aplikace.ucmeseprezit.cz/dev2/#/
Part of the English version can be found here:
https://www.hazardperception.eu/
https://www.letslearntosurvive.com/
It is possible to test the two English mutations.
Attached to this project is the media analytics, including the AVE value of the project in 2022.
We presented the new generation of questions abroad, at the Mobility Education Summit in 2022 (Abu Dhabi). Furthermore, the project was successfully presented by our Ministry of Transport on 24 May 2023 at the CIECA (International Commission for Driver Testing) in Vienna (awarding delegates for the most beneficial project) (https://cieca-vienna23.at). We attached a photo from the event. And we hold negotiations with SKVZA, the Slovak Chamber of Training Facilities for Driving Schools (www.skvza.sk) looking tohelp them with their programme for testing driving license applicants. At these levels, the project is seen as very useful thanks to the technological progress and game system and the concept of the individual test questions.
And on two more websites www.noveotazky.cz and http://aplikace.ucmeseprezit.cz/dev2/#/
Part of the English version can be found here:
https://www.hazardperception.eu/
https://www.letslearntosurvive.com/
It is possible to test the two English mutations.
Attached to this project is the media analytics, including the AVE value of the project in 2022.
We presented the new generation of questions abroad, at the Mobility Education Summit in 2022 (Abu Dhabi). Furthermore, the project was successfully presented by our Ministry of Transport on 24 May 2023 at the CIECA (International Commission for Driver Testing) in Vienna (awarding delegates for the most beneficial project) (https://cieca-vienna23.at). We attached a photo from the event. And we hold negotiations with SKVZA, the Slovak Chamber of Training Facilities for Driving Schools (www.skvza.sk) looking tohelp them with their programme for testing driving license applicants. At these levels, the project is seen as very useful thanks to the technological progress and game system and the concept of the individual test questions.
