Driver error is the cause of most accidents. Yet "active
safety" is difficult to analyze due to the complexity of the
processes involved and no unanimity of analytical procedures
exists. The purpose of the paper is to determine the investigatory
steps necessary for any complete analysis of active safety. These
steps are discussed individually and they include:
1. Analytical treatment within the parameters of the
driver-vehicle-surroundings system; the multiplicity of such
treatments suggests that no one approach is universally valid.
2. Investigations of driver behavior and vehicle response in
driving simulators; such simulators offer the possibility of
reproducible, experimental data.
3. Determination of driver reaction and vehicle response to
driving incidents involving artificially-induced danger and
surprise; such tests can safely be conducted on driving
courses.
4. Reconstruction and evaluation of traffic accidents through
use of questionnaires; Daimler-Benz has already made use of such
questionnaires. The results are discussed.
5. Evaluation of comparable data obtained from drive-recorders;
such mechanisms, comparable to those used on airplanes, would be
expensive but could provide valuable data.