Safe and Sustainable Transportation - A Psychological Issue

Accidents are caused by car-drivers, truck-drivers, train-drivers, by motor-cyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

In most cases human misbehaviour is the primary cause; only secondary and tertiary causes are of physical origin.

Mobility is unfortunately linked to injuries and fatalities and to a significant loss of financial resources. The EU set the goal of reducing traffic fatalities until 2010 by 50%; thus, 20.000 lives could be saved.

All theories and models of driving acknowledge driver behaviour to be the major contributory factor of accident causation. Objective epidemiological and experimental proof clearly show that reality fits theory.

Human behaviour - whether "normal" or "deviant" - is explained, individually assessed and altered by psychological means. Psychologists have developed concepts and instruments to

• Train drivers and other participants in road traffic
• Assess individual drivers in order to develop the best method of assisting them to drive safely
• Counsel drivers in order to re-establish their driving fitness
• Rehabilitate drivers who have lost their driving licenses because of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUI and DUID) as well as those who have repeated speed offences as well as other infractions of traffic rules
• Advise legislative bodies, administrations, courts and public transportation systems in order to find modes of granting and regranting drivers' licences by maintaining individual justice, i.e. applying individually justified methods to serve the individual and society to prevent injury, fatality, and other harm.

These concepts have been successfully evaluated and solve problems in traffic safety. They help drivers to maintain their quality of life and society to maintain safe mobility systems.

One example is the emergence of ignition interlock/alcolock devices which are of increasing popularity world-wide. More recent evaluation has generated the finding that their use may be enhanced substantially when combined with psychological and rehabilitative efforts. Many European countries have introduced rehabilitation schemes, some of them for more than 20 years with continued success.

Whereas the scientific community is aware of the fact that human behaviour represents the major source of traffic accidents, the decision makers often rely on inadequate concepts which do not take the human factor into account sufficiently.

Psychologists represent the professional group which is offering support on the following topics:

• Traffic education and psychological knowledge
• Young drivers
• Infrastructure design
• Psychological counselling and intervention in the licensing process
• Driver rehabilitation
• Elderly drivers
• Design of on board and driver assistance systems
• Preferred mode and sustainability of transportation

European traffic psychologists have conducted corresponding research which has yielded systematic knowledge on primary and secondary crash prevention. Unfortunately only little of this research is as yet supported or encountered by the European Union. For example most of the knowledge presented during the Fitness-to-Drive symposium in Brussels in May, 2005 underestimated the role of human behaviour and overestimated physical and medical factors. There is an obvious need for research in the combined effects of physical and mental/psychological causes of deviant traffic behaviour. For instance, the research presented by the epilepsy group clearly showed that it is not only necessary to conduct epidemiological studies in order to gain relevant data on the relative risk of diseases but also to map the relative risk of psychological factors.

Therefore much more research on the outcome of combined measures and less evaluation of isolated single factor programs is needed.

Therefore it has been recommended to the EU to install an expert group of psychologists and professionals as well as scientists with related professional and scientific background in the behavioural field. The expert group should have a permanent advisory function to help improve traffic safety. Such a group will be able to present proposals to facilitate the circulation of best practice in traffic psychology across EU borders and thus make an important contribution to the Commission's goals in traffic safety as well as for sustainable transportation.

Back