SCIENCE-SUPPLEMENT 



SCIENCE NEWS 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AUTO DRIVERS 



Science Service 

 Nation-wide standardized mental tests for auto 

 drivers to determine tlie kind of machine each 

 indiTidual shall be permitted to run is the plan 

 for cutting down our alarming motor-car acci- 

 dent toll urged by Dr. Eaymond Dodge, professor 

 of psychology in Wesleyan University, and this 

 year chairman of the division of psychology of 

 the National Research Council. , 



"All persons are not equally suited to driving 

 a car," he said. "One man in an emergency 

 gets and acts on an idea quickly, another slowly. 

 lUie time that elaipses after a danger is seen until 

 the driver can start the movement that is re- 

 quired to avoid it is an important factor in safety. 

 Slow and uncertain or wavering actions are un- 

 doubtedly the occasion of many accidents. This 

 slowness is in part due to lack of practice and 

 training and in part due to the natural tendencies 

 of the individual. Both of these factors can be 

 made matters of test. ' ' 



"The natural speed with which a person acts, 

 his 'reaction time' can be easily measured and 

 the relative ability of chauffeurs in this respect 

 could be determined, ' ' Dr. Dodge explained. 

 "The time that it takes for a signal to reach 

 the eye, be transmitted to the brain, and for the 

 brain to send its order down through the nerves 

 of the arm seems instantaneous, but it can be 

 measured by the reaction time test used in our 

 psychological laboratories every day. A person is 

 seated at a table with his finger on a telegraph 

 key. As soon as he sees a given signal he presses 

 the key. When the signal flashes, the electric 

 current also starts a pointer marking off the frac- 

 tions of a second upon a dial. When the key is 

 pressed the current is broken and the hand on 

 the dial stops moving. This gives a record of the 

 time it took the person to get and act upon tlie 

 idea. ' ' 



' ' Tests for driving ability, ' ' he continued, 

 "should be varied according to the sort of tasks 

 which the drivers are called upon to perform. 

 Tests for drivers of light, pleasure vehicles might 

 be very different from tests for drivers of fast 

 ambulances and fire appliances, and they in turn 

 might be quite different from tests for drivers of 

 heavy motor trucks. High powered fast machines 



obviously should not be entrusted to poor or rela- 

 tively untrained chauffeurs. A specific form o(f 

 test for various types of machines is good com- 

 mon sense and good science. 



' ' In addition to tests for mechamcal expertness, 

 knowledge of trafSc regulations and automobile 

 limitations should also be required. ' ' 



Jailing reckless drivers and requiring speeders 

 to view accident victims in the morgue are hap- 

 hazard methods. Licenses to drive should not be 

 issued to persons with such tendencies to motor 

 manslaughter. It is perfectly possible that the 

 psychologists will be aible to work out tests to 

 determine the moral tendencies and regard for 

 common interests of applicants for driver's 

 licenses. 



Careful analysis and expert thoroughgoing ex- 

 perimental investigation of these and other prob- 

 lems involving the mental processes of those who 

 use the highways should 'be made," Dr. Dodge 

 emphasized. "When there has been a systematic 

 exploration of the human factor in traffic, tests 

 can be standardized. 



"It is notorious that tests for drivers in one 

 community are entirely different from tests in 

 other communities. Licenses from different local- 

 ities are quite incomp.arable in value. It is ob- 

 vious that the same ability to drive is not re- 

 quired on a country road as in the city, but if 

 the farmer is to drive into town, he must be able 

 to handle his machine under city trafSc conditions 

 or else not be allowed to come in. Standard tests 

 would help remedy this situation. 



"Even now we should have a national blacklist 

 for chauffeurs so that those who have forfeited 

 their licenses on account of bad driving in one 

 state can not go over into another state and con- 

 tinue their homicidal practices." 



CHRISTMAS TREES OLD IN LEGEND AND 

 EVOLUTION 



Science Service 

 Christmas trees, as a family, are of the oldest 

 of our trees to-day. For reasons connected with 

 their antiquity, experts of the U. S. Forest Service 

 say that these evergreens have become so popular 

 for Yule-tide decorations that between four and 

 five million trees are consumed in this country 

 ■every year, while plantations which raise Christ- 



