The perceived causes of severe traffic accidents: A psychosocial approach

We examined the lay people's social representation of 23 possible causes of severe traffic accidents. 160 Romanian students filled in a questionnaire which assessed the relevance of each cause for a fatal accident. We used factor analysis to develop a pattern of consensual causes that are involved. The results suggest four central causes which reflect an absolute consensus among participants. People focus on general explanations provided by mass-media and less on specific traffic violations. The social representation of the accident is limited in terms of causation scenarios and is influenced by the way the mass-media decides to present the news.