Systems-based Human Factors analysis of road traffic accidents: Barriers and solutions

Safety compromising accidents and incidents occur regularly in the road transport domain. Formal accident analysis is an accepted means of understanding such events and improving safety in most complex safety critical domains. Despite this, there remains no universally accepted, theoretically underpinned framework for collecting and analysing accident-related data in the road transport domain. Further, formal data collection, storage and coding systems to support such analyses do not exist. This paper presents a discussion, based on our experiences from two research programs, on the problems faced when attempting to use systems theory-based Human Factors accident analysis methodologies for identifying, and understanding the relationship between, driver error and system-wide error causing conditions within the road transport domain. The findings from both studies indicate that the application of such methods within road transport is problematic for various reasons, including incompatible data collection procedures, a lack of detail in the ensuing data collected, a lack of theoretically underpinned analysis methods, and a lack of appropriately trained personnel. This paper presents a discussion on the barriers preventing valid, reliable and usable accident analysis within the road transport domain and, in closing, presents a series of proposed solutions to the barriers discussed.