Citation

Rothengatter JAT. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 2002; 5(4): 249-258.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S1369-8478(03)00004-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In this invited address to the International Congress of Applied Psychology, it is argued that traffic psychology has not had a major impact on accident prevention. The factors that have determined this are discussed. A review of the theories and models pertinent to drivers' risk taking and road user behaviour in general is presented. It is argued that both risk-homeostasis theories and task capability model are not sufficiently precise to be used as a basis for preventive measures. Attitude-behaviour models derived from social psychology have proved to be powerful in identifying motivational factors influencing road user behaviour, but the majority of empirical evidence is based on self-reported rather than observed behaviour. It is argued that individual differences can provide a basis for accident prevention, in particular driver training.