Show j t T Wreck of an automobile whose driver and two others lost their lives as al a direct result of the poor judgment r n he be showed at a railroad crossing V p v 1 Measuring a persons person's range of vision one of numerous eyesight tests which science I 1 thinks every would would-be automobile driver should be compelled by law to undergo T test for or drivers PSYCHOLOGICAL P Is the cure for the reckless and incompetent in in- in incompetent competent handling of automobiles automobiles automo- automo Abiles biles that annually slay thousands and maim hundreds of thousands In the opinion of Dr Fred H Moss of the department department of oi psychology at George Washington University and other emi emi- eminent emi eminent nent psychologists The mental requirements for drivers should be standardized it is urged just justas justas justas as the mechanical safeguards of auto auto- automobiles automobiles mobiles arc are Would Would-be aviators in the army and andna na navy are put through all kinds of mental and physical examinations before being accepted Why not automobile drivers A flyer if he makes a mistake puts in danger as a rule but one or perhaps two lives There are no traffic jams on the tho airways A mad motorist or one whose reactions reactions t are arc slow who is deaf or color bUnd blind x or minded absent-minded or rattle-brained rattle or who cannot judge speed or distance Is allowed on the busy highways and when his brain fails to function in an emer emer- emergency emergency gency then the ambulance may carry half a dozen or more persons off to the hospital I Professor Moss has been studying the psychology of automobile driving for over oYer a year ear lie He has made many and varied mental and manual t tests drivers some with the operation co-operation of the Bureau of Standards and as a result he is convinced that sooner or later the authorities will realize that it is just as important from the point of of view of public safety that a drivers driver's brain be working smoothly as that his cars car's brakes be in good condl condl- tion Since the rho days of ancient an an- an cleat Rome traffic has been a problem In the Sr time of at Caesar way one-way r r streets were inaugurated and and restricted parking spaces were resorted to inan in fan R Ran an effort to relieve traffic l congestion congestion But the traffic f problems problems of ancient Rome were childs child's playas play as com com- compared compared pared with the traffic problems of to-day to More traffic passes along Broad Broad- Broadway way Broad way New York in one day day than passed along theA the tha I A Way in one year r n The importance of auto auto- v mobiles as a cause vehicular ve- ve traffic accidents is evidenced by the fact that over o people were killed by them last year Analysis of motor vehicle accidents occur occurring AIring ring in Connecticut shows that I AI or per cent were the fault of the operators or 28 per cent were the tho fault of other persons or 4 d per percent percent percent cent were the tha fault of defective equip equipment ment meat ad and or 22 per cent were due to all other causes In other words over 93 per cent were the direct result of deficiency in the human factor These figures leave no doubt as to where efforts must be centered if It we wo are areto areto to expect any considerable reductions in inthe inthe inthe the number of traffic fatalities In the past nearly all aU effort has been given to the physical side of the tho traffic problem Yet less than 2 per cent of all accidents can be traced to the condi condi- condition condition tion of the roadway There are then says Professor Moss Mosi two main elements in the traffic problem problem lem the purely inanimate including the machine and the highway on which It operates and the animate or human element that controls the operation R The Tho first of these elements element has been given a lot of consideration by the traffic engIneer while the second is practically an untouched field The civil engineer has done dono a great deal to make the highways safer lIe Ito P has removed the more dangerous curves widened the road bed reduced the num num- number number A Aber ber of grade crossings and generally in- in increased in increased creased the road capacity fi n Undergoing one of the many tests testa re- re required rea a in the army and navy to find out if ifa a man is mentally and physically fit to tobe tobe be an aviator f r f ff s v r as f V Y YS l S I Ir r y yN N 8 t 4 e eThe The mechanical engineer has likewise contributed his quota to make the world d safer place in which to drive He has standardized requirements for such im- im important important im important mechanical elements clements as brakes lights and steering apparatus He has developed almost to safety devices to tomako tomake tomake make mako sure lure that an accident will not be due to some defect In the tho machinery Both the civil engineer and the me me- me mechanical me engineer thinks Professor Moss have ha done a fairly good good job Their work at the present stage is at least 80 per percent percent percent cent perfect which means that in these fields further progress will be slow and expensive and before long the stage of diminishing returns will be reached Not so with the human engineer Ex- Ex Except Ex Except in a 0 few isolated cases little atten attention tion has been given to the human side of the traffic problem the result being that as tho the traffic increases accidents multiply Fewer than quarter one-quarter of the states even go through the formality of ex- ex examining ex examining drivers at all before entrusting them with a potential death dealing ma- ma machine ma machine chine And the worst wont of it is that In the few where they do through the go mo- mo motions mo motion tion of examining before granting a license the examinations given are quite L t i N Searching Psychological Examina Examina- Examinations Examinations i R Aft tins Urged by Scientists rA 1 II I to o Reduce the fine Appall Appall- W I ing in Tollof Toll of Human Life VJ s I I and Limb Which the Incompetent and Reckless Reck r of f Automobiles Is Continually Taking 4 tt Ey t r 4 1 J A truck upset that cost two lives in Connecticut the state where carefully kept records show that s saven ven out of every ten automobile accidents are the fault of the drivers rather than the roads or the cars inadequate and of very doubtful value In not one state do wo we find require require- requirements require requirements e- e ments stating that before a II man can qualify to operate a machine he ho must be able to move his feet from the ac- ac accelerator accelerator ac accelerator to tho the brake within a specified time or that his vision must be such auch that he can see clearly an object feet ahead when his lights have properly illuminated it In order to determine how much time It takes for the average driver to move his feet from the accelerator to the brake and to begin to apply it a series of experiments was conducted by Pro Pro- Professor Professor fessor Moss in operation co-operation with the Bureau of Standards The apparatus used In the tests con con- consisted consisted con consisted of an automobile with two reo re revolvers mounted on the tho under side of the running board The revolvers were loaded with red lead so o that when either was fired a bright spot was made on the tho road One revolver was fired by the ex- ex examiner examiner ex examiner as a signal for the person taking is tj by J the test to his foot from the tho ac- ac accelerator accelerator ac accelerator and to apply tho the brake just justas justas justas as if an emergency were about to OCCUr The occur The second revolver was fired automatically automatically automatically cally when the person taking the test first touched the brake pedal In order to make the results as liS ac- ac accurate ac accurate curate as possible a ta- ta tachometer tachometer ta tachometer was used instead of the ordinary ordinary ordinary nary speedometer to indicate the speed at which the machine was traveling when the two revolvers were fired By meas mena- measuring the distance between the two wo red spots on the road and by dividing it by bythe bythe bythe the speed at which the driver was going when the shots were fired it was WIlS possible ble to determine how v much time elapsed between the hearing of the signal and the initial motion toward applying the brake The average reaction time of those tested was slightly more than one half one second If It a with a reaction time of one-half one second were traveling at the rate of thirty miles an hour he would go approximately two twenty-two feet after hearing the signal before he ho began to apply the bral brake e while the driver with withas withas withas as slow a reaction as liS ono one and one half one seconds would go 0 sixty-six sixty feet before beginning to apply the brake This does does not represent the time timo re- re required required re required for the tho brake to stop atop the ma- ma machine ma machine chine but is the time that elapses be- be before be before fore the driver even puts his foot on the brake It will be seen that even though a machine had the finest sets seta of brakes possible the driver could not even begin to stop it under the fifty feet Ceet allowed at ata ata II a speed of twenty miles per par hour if he happened to have a one and one half one reaction time Not only should the driver be requIred to meet some Borne minimum standard of re- re reaction reaction re reaction action time in an emergency believes Moss Dr Moss MOBS but he should hould be obliged to fulfill c certain minimum requirements of judgment in dealing with v-ith driving probe problems hems lems He lIe should be capable of judging the best method of handling situations which come up in operating a machine It seems possible to tt measure his judg Judg- Judgment judgment ment meat by some such method as that em- em employed em employed by Dr Or Moss in a series of tests One test fest consisted of fifty problems which at some time or another an auto driver is called upon to solve The fol- fol following fol following lowing will give kive some idea of their type although these particular problems were a loc Ina not used To each question three or four answers are suggested only one of which Is right The person taking the test was asked to indi indicate cate sate by a n cross the answer which he considered correct If you are driving along beside a street car which stops to let off passengers at a station without a loading plat platform plat plat- platform form or safety zone and if you OU have already passed the rear door but not the front door when th the car stops what should you back do-back do back up ten feet behind the rear door and stop stop-stop stop stop immedi immedi- immediately immediately and remain at rest until the street streetcar streetcar streetcar car pass moves moves pass on slowly exercising great care or care or advance tho the throttle and get out of way If you have started to pass a moving automobile and notice a n closely lip lip- ap approaching preaching automobile from the opposite direction should you blow you blow your horn and go Increase ahead ahead increase your speed and get in ahead stop quickly quickly stop where you are or or slow down and follow the car Cal ahead of you 1 Assume that tho the following four tour ve- ve vehicles vehicles ve vehicles are approaching the tha same street intersection w which ich would have the right right of way way-an way an auto approaching from Crom the right an ambulance approaching from two horse a from the right or a street car approach approach- approaching approaching ing lag from the left 1 If It your car strikes a pedestrian and in- in injures injures In Injures jures him seriously which would you do first call call the traffic bureau and report the details of tho the accident get the names and addresses addressee bf of the witnesses of the accident take tho pedestrian to the nearest hospital or leave everything just justas justas Justas the accident left it and call as a police police- policeman policeman man so 10 that he can make a correct re- re report re report port By some such device as liS this it Is pos pos- possible possible pos possible sible so to measure the mental require requirements ments of an applicant ant for a license that regardless of where when or by whom the tests are given the standards can be maintained Another advantage of othis thIs type of examination is that it can be used to test sixty to seventy-five seventy at atone atone one time and in that way WilY a large largo part of the examiners examiner's time can be saved for conducting the road test Another type of test which seems to tobe tobe tobe be worth some consideration thinks Dr Moss is designed to measure the indi- indi The cheery old lady who led New Yorks York's recent campaign against jay walking walking-a walking I praiseworthy crusade but one that cant can't reduce accidents to a minimum as long lone as there are thousands of mentally unfit drivers at the wheels of motor cars vidual's ability ty to recognize dangerous situations as presented in photographs In practically all the places where any sort of examination is required for forthe forthe forthe the licensing of drivers some form of operation or road test is included In Inmost Inmost Inmost most cases this consists simply in having the applicant drive around the block In operation co-operation with the officials of the Ithe District of ot Columbia more definite I specifications for the operations to be b Included in this type of examination have been devised i Among the things required required- of all ape ap applicants ts are Making a left turn in traffic stopping and starting on a hill without killing the motor and parking in a spa space e parallel to the curb as it If between two two other machines the space allowed for maneu maneu- maneuvering maneuvering vering being ten feet in lI addition to the length of the car The applicants applicant's pro proficiency on each of these tests is rated In determining wh whether ther or not he should receive an operators operator's license In the licensing of automobile drivers definite standards could be worked out for reaction time the exceeding of which would prevent an applicant from receiving receiving receiving ing a drivers driver's license This standard should be sufficiently lenient so that only in extreme cases would a man be eliminated for slow reaction time alone De- De Defect De Dc Defect feet in eyesight or hearing alone should be very marked before an individual should be refused a license for that sole reason But a license should in general be granted on a basis of merits or de- de demerits de demerits merits as obtained in all the tests If for example an applicant has bas a avery avery very ery slow reaction time in an emergency but rates high in judgment and information information information tion so that he would be more able to keep out of an emergency he should be granted a license but if it in addition to his slow reaction it was shown that he had poor judgment and little information information tion which would aid him in keeping out of danger it would be bo proper to refuse him a license I i Ii |