Habit as the Source of an Inappropriate Response

In the driving situation, the experienced driver develops habitual responses which serve him well, moat of the time. However, in some emergency situations, a limited repertoire of habitual responses, such as broking or swerving, may be inadequate to cope with a situation which is incongruous with the driver's S-R contiguity pattern of avoidance behaviour: a situation where a diametrically opposed response is required to avert disaster. When a driver is called upon to accelerate, rather than brake suddenly, his habitual, almost reflexive response to the emergency situation, may serve to aggravate the danger in the situation and possibly culminate in a crash. This study, which is part of a larger project, describes such u perverse situation and discusses some important inferences for safety training, with particular reference to the perroptual style of the individual.