Traffic control at junctions is used to manage the intersections between road users in space and time. The rules which are applied by drivers depend on the context and several features such as junction design, traffic density, manoeuvre to be done, may influence the drivers' actions. Drivers' activities appear to be more complex than they were expected to be according to the formal regulation. On the basis of accident analysis, the authors examine how drivers cope with this type of road situation and try to find out the various factors which may explain their strategies. They refer to a categorisation of drivers' errors according to the kind of mechanisms involved (perceptual or decisional) and to the and to the spatio-temporal conditions of their production. In order to improve safety, technical design should aim at structuring drivers' activity, which implies taking into account the dynamic processes involved in driving. Then, the junction design and the traffic regulation must be conceived, not only locally, but in the broader context of the approach to and environmental surroundings of the junction.
Abstract