Safety strategy in road traffic as applied today is inadequate. Safety must be redefined; it is not a lack of accidents but a characteristic of the behaviour and interactions of road users. Two important perspectives for judging (un)safe behaviour and interaction are: passenger perspective - as passengers, people are far more critical of other drivers' behaviour than when they themselves drive; safety research perspective - some types of behaviour and interaction are known to be dangerous. Adequate speed can be defined as "adoption of speed such that all interactions and all coordination are possible without the risk that human capability will be insufficient". For engineers and lawyers this is unsatisfactory, but for psychologists it is quite valid. In rail and air traffic, disobeying the rules is regarded very severely; why is this not the case in road traffic? Road users are likely to apply strategies not in line with behaviour strategy desired by experts as soon as control is insufficient; social feedback is almost nonexistent in traffic. Criteria for deciding whether or not behaviour is desired are: does behaviour accord with the laws; what is behaviour like in unclear situations. Driver behaviour can be analysed by observations, video registration of car movements, interviews etc.
Abstract