The need for a systems theory approach to road safety
(2010) In Safety Science 48(9). p.1167-1174- Abstract
- In other hazardous complex socio-technical systems in society, e.g. nuclear power and aviation, systems-theoretical assumptions are considered a promising way to better understand and manage safety. In this paper, two fundamental approaches to road safety were assessed in the light of a systems theory approach. One approach, is based on a premise where individual road-users are solely responsible when crashes occur. In that case countermeasures are aimed at altering the behavior of the road-user in order to adapt him/her to the road transport system. The other approach, the so-called zero-tolerance position, or Vision Zero approach, to road safety is built around two axioms; the system must be adapted to the psychological and physical... (More)
- In other hazardous complex socio-technical systems in society, e.g. nuclear power and aviation, systems-theoretical assumptions are considered a promising way to better understand and manage safety. In this paper, two fundamental approaches to road safety were assessed in the light of a systems theory approach. One approach, is based on a premise where individual road-users are solely responsible when crashes occur. In that case countermeasures are aimed at altering the behavior of the road-user in order to adapt him/her to the road transport system. The other approach, the so-called zero-tolerance position, or Vision Zero approach, to road safety is built around two axioms; the system must be adapted to the psychological and physical conditions and limitations of the human being and the responsibility for road safety must be shared between the road-users and the designers and professional operators of the system. It was found that the most important determinants of systems theory are basically not present in the road-user approach. However, even if the Vision Zero approach clearly takes step towards systems theory, it does leave room for articulating even more features of systems theory. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1672163
- author
- Larsson, Peter ; Dekker, Sidney LU and Tingvall, Claes
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Human factors, Systems theory, Vision Zero, Road safety, Traffic safety
- in
- Safety Science
- volume
- 48
- issue
- 9
- pages
- 1167 - 1174
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000281369600011
- scopus:77955092365
- ISSN
- 0925-7535
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ssci.2009.10.006
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 49eeaf04-5bd1-42dc-89c4-a9ad5da4fc31 (old id 1672163)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:32:46
- date last changed
- 2022-03-29 21:35:45
@article{49eeaf04-5bd1-42dc-89c4-a9ad5da4fc31,
abstract = {{In other hazardous complex socio-technical systems in society, e.g. nuclear power and aviation, systems-theoretical assumptions are considered a promising way to better understand and manage safety. In this paper, two fundamental approaches to road safety were assessed in the light of a systems theory approach. One approach, is based on a premise where individual road-users are solely responsible when crashes occur. In that case countermeasures are aimed at altering the behavior of the road-user in order to adapt him/her to the road transport system. The other approach, the so-called zero-tolerance position, or Vision Zero approach, to road safety is built around two axioms; the system must be adapted to the psychological and physical conditions and limitations of the human being and the responsibility for road safety must be shared between the road-users and the designers and professional operators of the system. It was found that the most important determinants of systems theory are basically not present in the road-user approach. However, even if the Vision Zero approach clearly takes step towards systems theory, it does leave room for articulating even more features of systems theory. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
author = {{Larsson, Peter and Dekker, Sidney and Tingvall, Claes}},
issn = {{0925-7535}},
keywords = {{Human factors; Systems theory; Vision Zero; Road safety; Traffic safety}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{9}},
pages = {{1167--1174}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Safety Science}},
title = {{The need for a systems theory approach to road safety}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2009.10.006}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ssci.2009.10.006}},
volume = {{48}},
year = {{2010}},
}