A study of precrash factors involved in traffic accidents

We examined over a five-year time frame how frequently various human, environmental, and vehicular factors were associated with traffic accidents by studying 13,568 police-crash reports of which 2,258 were investigated on-scene by technicians and 420 by a multidisciplinary team. Human errors were identified as definite causes in 70.7% of the accidents, environmental factors in 12.4%, and vehicular factors in 4.5%. In 20% of the cases, no definite cause was identified. A taxonomy of direct human causes was developed based on an information-processing model of the driver as a vehicle controller. The following categories were established: (1) recognition errors (i.e., perception and comprehension); (2) critical nonperformance (e.g., falling asleep); and (3) nonaccident (e.g., suicide attempt). More specific causes were developed under these categories, such as improper lookout, excessive speed, inattention, and improper evasive action. It is suggested that such findings may help develop effective means of reducing accidents. Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en