Abstract：
The causes of accidents are studied in the belief that by finding causes, accidents can be prevented by removing or controlling their causes. It follows that the risk factors that have traditionally been regarded as contributing to accidents can only be regarded as causes if it is possible to alter them by means of one or more road safety measures. Risk factors are causes if their relationship to accidents can be changed by implementing one or more road safety measures influencing the risk factors. Hence, road safety measures that could have been implemented to change risk factors identified as contributing to an accident, but have not, are also causes of accidents. Many of the human factors that have traditionally been identified as risk factors for accidents, like age, gender, driving experience, expectations or involuntary inattention are not causes of accidents, because they cannot be changed by means of any realistic road safety measure. What cannot be changed (could not have been different) is not a cause. It is possible, both in case studies and in statistical analyses, to determine when a set of factors precipitating or contributing to accidents is complete. A list of road safety measures that could have been implemented is only limited by our creativity and imagination and will therefore never be complete.
摘要：
研究事故原因的信念是，通过寻找原因，事故可以通过消除或控制其原因来预防。因此，传统上被视为导致事故的风险因素只有在有可能通过一种或多种道路安全措施来改变的情况下才能被视为原因。风险因素是指通过实施影响风险因素的一项或多项道路安全措施可以改变其与事故的关系的原因。因此，可以实施的道路安全措施，以改变被确定为导致事故的风险因素，但没有，也是事故的原因。许多传统上被认定为事故危险因素的人为因素,像年龄,性别,驾驶体验,期望或非自愿地注意力不集中不是事故的原因，因为它们不能通过任何现实的道路安全措施来改变。什么不能改变（不可能是不同的）不是一个原因。有可能,在案例研究和统计分析中，确定引发或导致事故的一系列因素何时完成。本来可以实施的道路安全措施清单仅受我们的创造力和想象力的限制，因此永远不会完成。
