The traffic conflicts originate from work at the General Motors Laboratories in (Perkins and Harris 1967).

The main and widely accepted definition for traffic conflicts is (Amundsen and Hydén 1977)

a conflict is an observable situation in which two or more road users approach each other in space and time to such an extent that there is a risk of collision if their movements remain unchanged

Amundsen, F., and C. Hydén, eds. 1977. Proceedings of the First Workshop on Traffic Conflicts. Oslo, Norway: Institute of Transport Economics.

Perkins, S. R., and J. I. Harris. 1967. “Criteria for Traffic Conflict Characteristics.” GMF 632. Warren, MI: General Motors Corp. http://www.ictct.org/wp-content/uploads/Perkins_Harris_1967.pdf.