Hazard perception in emergency medical service responders

• We compared hazard perception skills of civilians and emergency medical services (EMS) drivers.
• Independent of general speed, the EMS drivers were significantly faster than civilians.
• The EMS benefit equates to a difference in stopping distance of 5.6 m at 60 km/h.
• These findings strengthen arguments for the use of HPTs in training and evaluation.

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.