Urban error : deficiences, factors and context of the occurrence of urban accidents. Users perceive development both as a physical medium that ensures their mobility and as the background for understanding the events that occur. The way in which it is adapted to its users has a not inconsiderable influence on their behaviour, especially in urban areas. Urban management policies have changed over the past twenty years and now attempt to take into account and satisfy numerous concerns (safety, quality of life, etc.). However, both the number and severity of urban traffic accidents remain high. This study aims to identify the aspects that characterise such accidents in urban environments, in order to better understand their mechanisms and specificities in comparison to accidents occurring in the open countryside. The study relies on the Detailed Accident Studies performed at INRETS-MA. Emphasis is placed on the difficulties confronting urban road users and residents, and on the repercussions of these difficulties in their activities when in critical situations. The results highlight noticeable differences in deficient functional processes in and outside urban areas. Consequently, an analysis of the factors and contexts of the occurrence of 'human errors' in urban environments permits explaining some of the underlying causes of urban accidentality. (Author/publisher)
Abstract