Driver behaviour models and accident causation

The introduction of Road Transport Informatics (RTI) systems in the car may lead to changes in drivers' behaviour. Some of these changes may have unwanted effects, and even lead to an increased risk for traffic accidents. It is therefore of greatest importance to investigate what behavioural changes different RTI systems, and combination of systems, may lead to. To know more in detail what changes to look for, some kind of theoretical framework is needed. The purpose of this paper is to suggest such a framework. This is done by an analysis of the drivers behaviour, mainly from a cognitive and perceptual perspective. A literature review bearing on factors associated with traffic accidents is also carried out. The literature review serves as an illustration and test of the proposed cognitive and perceptual perspective. The perspective used here will be functionalistic. The focus will be on the functions a driver must be able to perform. Compared with other analysis of the drivers task this approach is more directly oriented toward the safety aspect of car driving. This is done by starting with the question of what the driver should do (in order to drive safely), rather than by asking what the driver actually is doing. Some general aspects of car driving, general in the meaning that they exist independently of how car driving is categorised, are pointed out. The drivers achievement in a traffic situation is looked upon as a function of task demand, and the drivers' different resources and abilities.