I noted this announcement from Robert Gifford with mixed feelings.
Psychological assessments should become part of the UK driving test, a road safety expert has urged.
Robert Gifford, director of a road safety charity, told BBC Radio Five Live the current system failed to root out drivers prone to breaking rules.
He said psychometric tests could help to identify people with the wrong attitude to the road.
On the one hand, he has a point. Certainly I recall people struggling to learn to drive who were never going to make good drivers – nor, for that matter would they ever reach a level of competence sufficient to pass the rudimentary test conducted by the DSA. Now, some sort of aptitude test prior to applying for a licence would give such people an opportunity to take stock and ask themselves whether the time, effort and expense involved in a futile cause is worth it. That would be preferable to the miserable failure that inevitably follows and saves the instructor the task of advising them to stop wasting their money. That does not appear to be what is being proposed, though.
But he said it failed to look at their psychological attitude to the road.
For example, it fails to assess if they see themselves as risk-takers, making them more likely to break the speed limit or jump a red light.
He said a psychometric assessment would help identify such faults and instructors and examiners would then be able to modify the person’s behaviour.
I don’t know what planet Mr Gifford resides upon, but on this one, attitude assessment is carried out by the driving instructor within minutes of the learner driver taking the wheel. Subsequent adjustment of a bad driving attitude is all part of the package of lessons that follow. Now, given that driving instructors do their level best to instill an appropriate attitude – and doubtless fail in some instances – what is the logical conclusion from Mr Gifford’s suggestion? Although the BBC article doesn’t say so and it is not clear whether Mr Gifford intends it; the logical conclusion is that people with the “wrong” attitude are barred from obtaining a full driving licence.
Tempting though it is to see this as a positive development (I can think of plenty who shouldn’t be let loose behind the wheel) this assumes that a bad attitude automatically leads to a higher risk of collision. Not necessarily so. All too frequently in my experience, those with a bad attitude compensated for it with a higher level of skill. Overall, they were not less competent drivers and their risk factor was not necessarily greater than other drivers I taught. They may have been an annoyance to others and so, therefore “bad” drivers, but that should not be a bar to driving… Or should it? I’m not convinced.
Unless psychometric testing is offered as a tool for the benefit of the end user to make a judgement for themselves about how they will progress with their driving career, I remain, like the RAC, sceptical about this suggestion.