Road Accident Investigations procedures can benefit to a great extent from the introduction of Human Factors (HF) principles in the analysis activities. This is only possible if a cause-oriented method of investigation is used during the on-site accident data acquisition.
The paper aims to discuss the benefits achievable from a HF oriented approach in the implementation of Road Accident Investigation (RAI), and the criteria to be applied to allow performing such an analysis “on-the-spot” or in a postaccident approach (“HF-Accident Profiling”).
The paper highlights the principles of HF as defined by the PIARC Human Factors Guideline “Human Factors for a Safer Road Infrastructure” – 2007. Three HF criteria describe three possible classes of accident provoking road features: 1. the relationships between sight distances and driver reaction capabilities, 2. driver’s limitations of spatial perception and 3. the characteristics of managing driver’s expectations.