Incentive systems for accident-free and violation-free driving in the general population

A comprehensive model of driver behaviour and accident causation shows four central variables: (a) perceptual skills relative to accident risk, (b) judgemental (decisional) skills relevant to risk-reducing and risk-enhancing actions, (c) psychomotor control skills related to vehicle handling and (d) the target level of risk, that is the degree of risk the driver wishes to accept. It can be shown on both theoretical and empirical grounds that safety promotion efforts which attempt to alter the first three of these variables can only have a temporary influence on accident frequency. Long-term effects, on the other hand, may be obtained through policy actions upon the level of desired risk in the driver population. From a utility model of the factors that control desired risk, the potential beneficial effect of instituting incentives for accident-free driving may be derived. The available literature on this point is reviewed in an attempt to identify the critical features of effective incentive programmes.