Integrating user Psychology in Road Transport Safety: A Model for Low and Middle-Income Countries, Based on Sri Lanka

Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) account for 90% of road collisions that occur globally. These collisions account for 17.63 million serious injuries and deaths while costing LMIC economies 1.7 trillion USD amounting to 6.5% of aggregate annual GDP. Though there are a plethora of models on road transport safety, few address the impact of user psychology and the contextual environment in LMICs on road safety. This paper proposes such a model formulated and developed using existing literature and focus group discussions. The model is composed of three key constituents - behaviour, skills and knowledge, and infrastructure. It further interprets behaviour as an integration of three sub-elements—mindset, circumstances and legal system—pertaining to the incident. The interaction between these constructs constitutes user behaviour in a given circumstance. The research also proposes an implementation guideline to authorities that is instrumental in changing society’s perception of transport safety.