Many in-depth accident studies are carried out in order to reveal not only where the "transportation system" failed, but also what exactly failed and why - parts of - the system failed. The aim of this study is the development of a method supported by a computer expert system that should clarify the causation of road accidents. The starting point in this study is the system view which considers the "human operator" interacting with the other components such as the environment and vehicle. In the transportation system all human participants work towards a common goal; travel from one place to another. This teleological viewpoint can also be found in the task driven approach that we will use in the accident analyses. In order to reach his or her goal - arrive safely at the place he or she had planned to travel to - the road user has to carry out several traffic tasks. Apart from more strategic considerations like routechoice the road user should be concerned with the execution of several manoeuvres during his or her participation in the transportation system. Task analyses prescribe hierarchically ordered rules for carrying out the manoeuvres. These rules (tasks) are incorporated in the expert system and are used by the system as a frame of reference in the analysis of individual accidents.
Abstract