title: Hazard perception in emergency medical service responders.
abstract: The perception of on-road hazards is critically important to emergency medical services (EMS) professionals, the patients they transport and the general public. This study compared hazard perception in EMS and civilian drivers of similar age and personal driving experience. Twenty-nine EMS professionals and 24 non-professional drivers were given a dynamic hazard perception test (HPT). The EMS group demonstrated an advantage in HPT that was independent of simple reaction time, another indication of the validity of the test. These results are also consistent with the view that professional driving experience results in changes in the ability to identify and respond to on-road hazards. Directions for future research include the development of a profession-specific hazard perception tool for both assessment and training purposes.
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, 2500 Univeristy Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, 2500 Univeristy Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada. Electronic address: scialfa@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Scialfa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011930:Reaction Time; D018570:Risk Assessment; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ambulance; EMS; Hazard perception; Hazards; Traffic safety