Accident models for modern road traffic: changing times creates new demands

The purpose of this study is to develop accident models that can be applied to modern road traffic. Several criteria are proposed that a model suitable for the conditions of modern road traffic should fulfill. Four commonly applied general accident models are reviewed, and found to be inadequate in relation to the criteria. Also, the consequences of an underlying structural problem in all four model types, which is the result of regarding the human as a system component, are discussed. To remedy the discovered problems, it is argued that traffic safety should make use of the developments that have been made in the field of industrial safety. Several suggestions are proposed for how a new model could be developed, based on experiences from industrial safety.