Associations of crash, penalty, and demographic factors with hazard perception among Iranian professional drivers

OBJECTIVE: Hazard perception plays a pivotal role in preventing road accidents. Despite control measures in developing countries, crash and injury rates remain high, indicating limitations in current strategies. Framed within Endsley's Situational Awareness Theory, this study examined associations between crash history, traffic penalties, and demographic factors (age and education) with hazard perception among Iranian professional drivers. METHODS: = 48.3, SD = 10.4). Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the standardized Hazard Perception Test (HPT) validated for the Iranian context. Data were analyzed using univariate tests and a General Linear Model (GLM). RESULTS: > 0.05). This performance level is substantially lower than scores typically reported in high-income countries with mandatory HPT in licensing (often >50-60% among experienced drivers). CONCLUSIONS: Crash and penalty history were strongly linked to poorer hazard perception, highlighting behavioral factors as key risk markers. The HPT effectively distinguished high- from low-risk drivers, supporting its use as a screening tool for targeted interventions in settings with limited systemic protections. These findings extend Situational Awareness theory to low- and middle-income contexts and emphasize the need for context-specific training.