Driving a vehicle may be viewed as a form of action control in a potentially hazardous traffic system. Although most erroneous actions are recovered, a driver error may, under unlucky circumstances, result in an accident. Errors may appear as deviations from correct actions as results of deliberate actions or because of biases in the cognitive and perceptual systems. The present paper summarises two studies that show the feasibility of modelling self-reported everyday aberrant driving behaviour. Four types of aberrations were identified: violations (e.g., exceeding the speed limit), mistakes (e.g., misjudgement of the gap when overtaking), inattention errors (e.g., failure to observe traffic signs and signals), and inexperience errors (e.g., preparing to reverse while using a forward gear). This particular model was shown to be an approximate fit relative to the age and gender of the driver. However, bias may be found when old drivers are investigated. It is suggested that the approach taken may provide an overview of various aberrant driving behaviours prevalent at different stages in the individual's lifetime, behaviours that may be important precursors of traffic offences and accident involvement. For the covering abstract see ITRD E113725 (C 22328 CD-ROM).
Samenvatting