A new virtual reality (VR) hazard perception test has been developed to address the training gap for tractor drivers, in a bid to reduce road incidents involving agricultural vehicles.
Working in collaboration with The Farm Safety Foundation, The Road Safety Trust, and Esitu Solutions, researchers at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), developed a 360-degree hazard test focused on on-road tractor safety training and driving skills.
The test will help shift the focus of current safety training from at-work to on-road risk, and will feature key hazards filmed on real roads to assimilate reality.
The Health and Safety Executive’s figures indicate that farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in the UK, yet agricultural-related fatalities would increase by more than 50% if on-road fatalities with agricultural vehicles were included in the statistics, researchers reported.
According to researchers, this can be partly attributed to limited existing regulations which permit anyone with a basic driver’s licence to drive a tractor.
Additionally, anyone above the age of 16, who is in possession of a provisional licence, can also legally drive a tractor upon the passing of a cursory test, including to and from the test site unaccompanied.
VR tractor test
To design the VR test, researchers conducted a survey of 158 farmers to identify common hazards such as:
- Other-driver risk taking, including inappropriate overtaking;
- Concerns over vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians;
- Problems with the environment, including overgrown foliage and potholes;
- Tractor-specific hazards related to the design of tractors and their stopping distances and turning arcs.
The second part of the study used the survey results to create and evaluate a VR hazard assessment using clips of 360-degree footage from real road situations which were captured using front, side, and rearview cameras attached to the bonnet and mirrors of a tractor.
This was trialed with 109 tractor drivers and 38 car drivers, measuring awareness across three aspects:
- Hazard perception, requiring participants to press a button as soon as they see a developing hazard;
- Hazard prediction, as a hazard begins to develop participants are asked ‘What happens next?’;
- Hazard avoidance, the clip stops at a critical decision point and participants are asked ‘What should you do next?’.
The trials showed particularly low levels of hazard perception compared to hazard prediction, while tractor drivers who reported being involved in previous collisions were proven to have performed worse on the hazard prediction element.
Lead researcher and professor of psychology at NTU’s School of Social Sciences, David Crundall said: “It is concerning that there is no test which focuses solely on tractors.
“Regardless of the facts that they are much heavier than cars and they handle very differently, the position of the driver creates different blind spots to those of a car, and the hazards that drivers face can be very specific to tractors.
“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,” he added.
Following feedback from agricultural colleges and young farmer clubs, the next stage of the study hopes to develop the test into a teaching resource for young tractor drivers to prevent habitual bad practices and risky attitudes to driving in general, researchers purported.
Chief executive of The Road Safety Trust, Ruth Purdie OBE, said: “Prior to this project, there has been precious little in terms of specialised training for tractor drivers.
“In fact, anyone can drive a tractor on public roads after passing only a basic car test, despite the significant number of complexities involved.
“Perhaps that is why the creation of this intervention has shown particularly low levels of hazard perception among tractor drivers, especially those who report having already been involved in a collision.
“Those findings demonstrate the importance of this intervention, which The Road Safety Trust hopes will help to reduce collisions involving these types of vehicles and improve safety for all road users,” she said.
The test is currently available via an app loaded on to VR headsets, distributed by NTU spin-off company, Esitu Solutions.
