Professor rides for safety

A professor of psychology is spending time in railway engine cabs in a pounds 154,000 safety project

Professor John Davies of the University of Strathclyde is looking at the way human errors can lead to disasters. The research involves a scheme introduced by ScotRail called Ciras - the Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis System.

The scheme is backed and financially supported not only by Railtrack but by other bodies including Railtrack, the Health and Safety Executive and rail unions Aslef and the RMT.

Its main objective is to encourage drivers to report incidents which they may not draw attention to through the standard reporting systems already in place, either from a feeling of pointlessness or through fear of self-incrimination.