BASIC DRIVING BEHAVIOR : AN INTERMEDIATE CRITERION FOR EVALUATING THE RISK OF A TRAFFIC VIOLATION OR ACCIDENT

The concept of basic driving behavior evolved from a series of studies carried out at ONSER over a period of 15 years. A driver's usual behavior in a variety of driving situations can be described in terms of his own system of rules, reflecting both legal and informal traffic rules. Basic driving behavior can be used to assess how dangerous a driver potentially is and to what extent he is prepared to infringe existing driving laws. Our pilot study demonstrated the value of basic driving behavior as an intermediate criterion for predicitng the future accident involvement. Its power in this respect was of significance, comparable to that based on drivers' actual violation and accident records. However, the main interest in the concept of basic driving behavior lies in the possibility it opens for interpreting those mechanisms which are likely to result in accidents. By virtue of its accessbility and in view of the fact that it proves to be free of the biases which affect the utilization of drivers' violation and accident records, basic driving behavior consititutes an effective road safety research tool, especially in the field of accident prediction.