Abstract
Traffic safety is described as a problem with technological, behavioural, sociological and value dimensions. Accidents are viewed as "localized system failures", symptomatic of an underlying problem that includes: an imbalance between driver capabilities and the demands of the motor vehicle transportation system; the absence of functional communication between the administrative units responsible for the input and functioning of men, vehicles and environment; and the lack of recognition and resolution of the trade-offs between safety and other desired system outputs and characteristics.