Recent developments in our understanding of decision-making processes in complex or natural environments are yet to be applied fully in the road-user behaviour context. This paper discusses the possibility that recent psychological models of decision making may be a useful addition to the deterrence model generally used to account for the effect of enforcement on drink-driving behaviour, potentially displacing rational decision-making models that are usually applied in this context. Recent evidence from a number of Monash University Accident Research Centre projects bearing on this issue is discussed. It is concluded that continued reliance on rational decision-making models as an explanation and a guide for countermeasure development is likely to be unproductive, and that there are substantial advantages to be had from considering the effects of enforcement terms of natural decision making models.
Abstract