@article{ref1,
title="The need for a systems theory approach to road safety",
journal="Safety science",
year="2010",
author="Larsson, Peter and Dekker, Sidney W. A. and Tingvall, Claes",
volume="48",
number="9",
pages="1167-1174",
abstract="In other hazardous complex socio-technical systems in society, e.g. nuclear power and aviation, systems-theoretical assumptions are considered a promising way to better understand and manage safety. In this paper, two fundamental approaches to road safety were assessed in the light of a systems theory approach. One approach, is based on a premise where individual road-users are solely responsible when crashes occur. In that case countermeasures are aimed at altering the behavior of the road-user in order to adapt him/her to the road transport system. The other approach, the so-called zero-tolerance position, or Vision Zero approach, to road safety is built around two axioms; the system must be adapted to the psychological and physical conditions and limitations of the human being and the responsibility for road safety must be shared between the road-users and the designers and professional operators of the system. It was found that the most important determinants of systems theory are basically not present in the road-user approach. However, even if the Vision Zero approach clearly takes step towards systems theory, it does leave room for articulating even more features of systems theory.<p />",
language="en",
issn="0925-7535",
doi="10.1016/j.ssci.2009.10.006",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2009.10.006"
}