Abstract
A new model for the motivational factors in decision-making processes undergone by drivers is introduced. It emphasizes the competition between the driver's desire to perform a certain act—induced by (excitatory) motives—in a certain traffic situation and the subjective risk associated with this desire. The import of this model to traffic-safety work lies in its emphasis on what the driver actually does in any given traffic situation rather than on his driving skill and or the traffic conditions as such.