Abstract
A motor vehicle accident causal system, from a human factors viewpoint, is presented. The system, or model, is based upon a cause and effect relationship: the "effect" being the primary failure or behavior which led directly to the collision situation; the "cause" being the reasons for the failure or behavior. Effects are described as information processing failures of four types: (1) perception, (2) comprehension, (3) decision, and (4) action failures.