Evening star., 1925-11-08
EXPERTS WEARY OF FEUD
OVER DRIVER LICENSES
Opinion Advanced by Liberal Author
tiles That Anybody May Operate Car
Until Proved Incompetent.

commended, many students of the traf-
fic problem, on the other hand, con-
slider il an ineffective method of weed
ing out the unfit. The Bureau or
Public Personnel Administration Of
the Institute for Government Re-
search has developed, under the di-
rection of +. A. Moss, one of the most
comprehensive standardized tests for
automobile drivers, vet the test gives
no assurance that the applicant with
the highest rating Will never drive
his car while intoxicated or lapse into
a fit of reckleSSneSs.
Tine driver test is used to aid the
motor vehicle inspectors in deter1nin-
ing lust how much an applicant
really knows about the job of oper-
ating an automobile, and in deciding
how much more he or she will know
when given the advantage of d years
experience. The present systems are
generally condemned on the theory
that too muck is taken for granted
by the Inspectors and no effort is
made to check up licensed drivers to
ind out whether they are progress
ing as anticipated.
When Operator Is on Probation.
When a violator Of everyday laws
is put on probation the authorities
reserve the right to watch him closely
and determine whether such proba-
tion should or should not be termi-
mated. The same process is urged in
the matter of licensing drivers.
Thousands of drivers who make
blunders when being examined in
many States where some sort OF test
is required are placed on probation.
But this probation is seldom genuine.
The State rarely makes an effort to
test the driver after he has bean
given the advantage of six monthS
or years experience.
Certain methods of licensing drivers
are criticized on grounds that they
are predicated on the assumption
that they tell what a driver is going
to do. whereas they merely tell what
he Is capable of doing at the moment.
This is the contention of those who
favor what is known as the con-
tinuous driving test, system that
would aim to keep check on all
drivers all the time. The expense
of this method probably would be
prohibitive The tendency in many
motor vehicle licensing departments
anpears to favor the more liberal
practice of allowing the motorlst to
operate a car until he has proven
himself to be unfit as a motorlst
When he is fOund 10 ne ullllt INC uo-
narrment reserves the right TO
penalize him by revoking or suspend
ing his license. 1t is the enforcement
Of the revocation law in Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut that Is be-
lieved TO be keeping the accident rate
within bounds in those States.
Penalty of License Revocation.
The penalty of revocation or license
carries with it stricter watch on all
drivers and more frequent Inspection
Of licenses. Failure to carry out this
detail of the most successful method
of keeping motordom free of the unft
is cited as the chief reason for gen
eral dissatisfaction with the methods
of controlling drivers of automobiles.
The mental test can tell but small
portion of the story. Experience
must reveal the rest
Revocation of licenses is the i'm
portant half of driver control, but its
iron bars are rusty and the reckless
or incompetent operator finds little
difficulty in escaping.
(Copyright. 1925D