Risk Taking Behavior And Traffic Safety Symposium Proceedings

From the conference: University of Michigan Symposium on Risk-Taking Behavior and Traffic Safety, 24-25 May, 1993, Ann Arbor, Mich.

This volume contains the papers and discussions from a Symposium on :'Hu man Behavior and Traffic Safety" held at the General Motors Research Labora tories on September 23-25, 1984. This Symposium was the twenty-ninth in an annual series sponsored by the Research Laboratories. Initiated in 1957, these symposia have as their objective the promotion of the interchange of knowledge among specialists from many allied disciplines in rapidly developing or chang ing areas of science or technology. Attendees characteristically represent the aca demic, government, and industrial institutions that are noted for their ongoing activities in the particular area of interest. of this Symposium was to focus on the role of human behavior The objective in traffic safety. In this regard, a clear distinction is drawn between, on the one hand, "human behavior," and on the other "human performance." Human per formance at the driving task, or what the driver can do, has been the subject of much research reported in the technical literature. Although clearly of some rel evance, questions of performance do not appear to be central to most traffic crashes. Of much more central importance is human behavior, or what the driver in fact does. This is much more difficult to determine, and is the subject of the Symposium.

The focus of this book is to present the latest aspects in the area of human behavior and its relation to planning of an optimal traffic safety. The contributions from authors in various disciplines such as scientists, medical practitioners, administrators and practitioners from the car industry examine how road-user behavior can cause accidents and how decision-makers from various sectors of society may influence road users' behavior. The development of modern vehicles and new traffic systems requires more sophisticated behavior and technology. New medical technologies such as improved neuropsychologic methods and descriptive mapping of behavior with imaging techniques facilitate the understanding of the anatomy and physiology of human behavior. The increased knowledge of normal and pathologic behavior contributes to strenghten primary prevention with the goal of reducing traffic accidents.

This comprehensive 2nd edition covers the key issues that relate human behavior to traffic safety. In particular it covers the increasing roles that pedestrians and cyclists have in the traffic system; the role of infotainment in driver distraction; and the increasing role of driver assistance systems in changing the driver-vehicle interaction.