Aim and scope of traffic psychology

This chapter outlines the scope of traffic psychology as a discipline that studies road user behaviour and the psychological processes underlying it, with the primary goal of promoting safe behaviour and reducing road casualties. The human factor is identified as the most critical element in traffic safety, with errors, motivations, attitudes, and personality traits playing a central role in accident causation. The chapter introduces the “three E’s” framework – Engineering, Enforcement, and Education – as the pillars of traffic safety, while highlighting the importance of integrative, competence-based approaches such as the GDE (Goals for Driver Education) matrix. Research domains are explored across three areas: safe roads (e.g. self-explaining road design and behavioural nudging), safe vehicles (e.g. driver assistance systems, automation, and meaningful human control), and safe road users (e.g. models of risk perception and task-capability interface). Emphasis is placed on evidence-based practice, with structured methodologies such as intervention mapping and the intervention–evaluation cycle providing a framework for designing, implementing, and assessing safety measures. Overall, the chapter presents traffic psychology as a field that combines scientific insight with applied interventions to foster safer, healthier, and more sustainable mobility systems.