Integrating Environmental Context into Navigation Systems: A Conceptual Framework for Driving Safety

How can navigation systems evolve from route-calculators to safety co-agents? This paper proposes a conceptual architecture for risk-aware navigation, reframing digital navigation from a route optimization tool into a safety-oriented decision support system. While current technologies prioritize speed and efficiency, they often fail to support real-time risk interpretation. Drawing on Safety Science, Human Factors, and Situation Awareness theory, this work argues that safe driving emerges from the continuous perception and management of risk rather than just following the fastest route. The proposed four-layer architecture—Context Acquisition, Risk Interpretation, Behaviour Coupling, and Adaptive Communication—transforms navigation into a socio-technical safety mechanism. Key Contributions: * Paradigm Shift: Transitions navigation from "positioning" to "risk-awareness". * Theoretical Grounding: Synthesizes SA theory (Endsley) and Safety-II (Hollnagel) to support anticipatory decision-making. * Research Groundwork: Establishes a foundation for human-centered AI, ITS design, and safety-oriented mobility. This manuscript serves as a normative conceptual lens for researchers and designers seeking to bridge the gap between navigation technology and real-world driving safety. Keywords : Risk-aware navigation, Road safety, Safety science, Human factors, Situation awareness,Socio-technical systems, Predictive risk communication, Decision-making under uncertainty