Action Vs Intention

When analysing collisions, it is not enough to merely describe errors made during the time of the crash. We must look not only at what the driver did, but what internal motives led him/her to do so. It is also necessary to ask the following questions: Why did the driver act in such a way as to lead to a crash? What was the motivation of that behaviour?

Four Behaviours That Predict Collisions.

Behaviours that cause collisions can be classified into several types. This can be studied by asking people involved in collisions to describe the circumstances surrounding the crash and their internal emotional and mental state during the time period before the crash.

It has been found that four basic types of behaviours lead to collisions.

1. Lack of attention - An experienced driver is capable of directing his/her attention elsewhere, while driving in an automatic manner. However, if the driver concentrates intensely on a distraction, the driver may fail to recognize the potential danger.
2. Carelessness and sometimes just plain wrong ideas about driving. People acquire inappropriate driving behaviours, both directly, (through personal experience), or indirectly (by observing others).
3. Drowsiness - A state in which a person reaches the threshold of sleep due to lack of sleep, strenuous work, or being awake at a time of day when the person's biological clock causes him/her to want to sleep.
4. Risk - taking, competitive, and aggressive behaviour. These conscious behaviours are motivated by strong emotions. The emotion behind the stimulation may be considered to be positive (excitement) or negative (irritability). Such behaviours find open expression in the different driving styles exhibited by different people, or alternately, by other behaviours displayed by drivers. Each of these behaviours reflects personality tendencies.

Attention and Risk Taking Trade-off

A high level of stimulation may lead to various driving errors. For example, when the driver is focused on some distraction, the result might be impaired attention. On the other hand, when the driver's attention is concentrated on driving, he or she might take risks. A good understanding of a person's emotional state, attention capacity, cognitive processing and driving beliefs are critical for the creation of ways by which to minimise collisions.

Based on:
Reid, M.J. (1995). Dysfunctional driving behaviours: a cognitive approach to road safety research. In Hartly L. (Ed), Fatigue and Driving - Driver Impairment, Driver Fatigue and Driving Simulation (pp.233 - 249). Western Australia: Taylor & Francis.