Blueprint of the world’s worst driver...

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 17

Blueprint of the world’s worst driver...

Who is the world’s worst driver? We may not actually know his name but we do know pretty well everything else about him, including his age, marital status, hobbies, and, what he thinks of the boss.

Scientists in both Europe and America have spent the last five years constructing a blueprint of the demon driver from social and psychiatric studies involving more than 100,000 motorists. “Results show that the attitude of the safe driver differs sharply from that of the irresponsible motor* ist,” says Dr Eric Gilchrist, of the Detroit Traffic Observance Clinic. “Personality traits which may be completely, concealed at other times, tend to be given full expression when a person is at the wheel.”

Indeed, tests showed that drivers most subject to accidents tended .to have the following attitudes:

1. That the world wasn’t giving them a square deal. 2. That police were corrupt and that almost any-

thing can be “fixed” in the courts if you have enough money.

3. That success in life depends more on luck than ability. 4. That it’s all right to “get around” the law if

By

BRUCE SANDHAM

Features International

you don’t actually break it.

5. That dishonesty is sometimes justified when used to get oneself out of trouble.

Dr Gilchrist believes that the driver who starts to assert himself once he is: behind the wheel, generally throwing his weight about and making other drivers give way to him, is often a hen-pecked husband. “He could be browbeaten by the boss at work, or dominated and ordered about by fellow employees, so the only chance he gets to assert himself is when he’s driving. '

“He feels the equal of anyone then, and feeds his undernourished ego by intimidating other drivers. But as soon as he’s out of the car, he reverts to type and becomes meek and self-effacing again.” Dr Otto Sehr, a Ham-

burg police surgeon and behaviour consultant, says: “Bad drivers invariably honk their horns at the slightest opportunity. If you don’t move the split second traffic lights change, you can expect a blast from his horn. . “He has a field day in traffic jams, and seldom uses his brake when he feels that the horn will suffice. While horn honking is a sign of emotional immaturity, studies show it also indicates extreme mental and physical tension.” You do not have to drive fast to be a bad driver, according to Dr Lucas McCann of McGill University, Canada. “I’m.

talking about the type who drives slowly in the middle of the road, won’t budge an inch, and sounding your horn only seems to strengthen his determination to stay where he . is. “Inner cohflicts. and frustrations have warped his personality • to the point where he feels a hostile attitude towards people in general. He takes a perverse satisfaction in thwarting others, and enjoys driving a car badly because it provides him with unlimited means of expressing his hostility.” This has been confirmed by Dr Michelle Yzermann and Dr Gertrude Kapphan. who recently conducted wide-scale studies at the -Zurich Motivational Behaviour Unit. Their conclusion: without a doubt, a man drives the way he lives. They found that two thirds of the drivers who had frequent accidents had a record of anti-social behaviour, while of drivers who seldom had traffic accidents, only 9 per cent had ever done

anything anti-social. So can science give us a blueprint of the careless driver? Yes, say University of Western Ontario sociologists, who have scientifically documented a composite picture of the driver who is accident prone.

Family history: Parental divorce rate high. Gross disharmony among par-

ents; one or both parents excessively strict. Work record: Frequent change of jobs. Seldom gets on with the boss. Social adjustment: Many acquaintances but few friends, and few hobbies. Marital state: If married, tends to go his own way. Irresponsible towards family welfare. Behaviour patterns:

Tries to impress others. Tends to live beyond his means. Often .in debt and a poor credit risk. Philosophical outlook’: Materialistic, with little concern for moral or spiritual . considerations. Inclined to be fatalistic. Rebellious attitude .towards routine and discipline. . Does this description fit anyone you know. . .?