Instructions to this report

ABSENCE OF BENCHMARKS

In his book, "Beyond Traffic Safety," Rothe contends that although one possess a driverâs license, license examinations have, "Little validity in predicting who will and will not be safe drivers." The requirements for passing a driver examination is minimal and candidates who are tested are not required to engage in any type of formal preparation for a license which could make driving on the road unpredictable and unsafe. For instance, the absence of learning objectives, and teaching techniques such as problem solving, decision making, and skills development could prove to be hazardous for those who are not too familiar with driving as compared to a commuter who is a veteran driver and predicts the unpredictable while driving on familiar or unfamiliar grounds.

DESIGNER LICENSES

Traffic jurisdictions have introduced the "designer license," to those that need to learn, "Traffic regulations and other critical information pertaining to safe driving practices." It was introduced to modify novice young driver risk taking, to restrict their range of operation. There are three types of designer licenses: 1) probationary license 2) provisional license 3)graduated license.

The probationary licensed driver receives documents that clearly mark their driving status. For example, if they are pulled over for some kind of safety hazard, probationary drivers are quickly identified and punished ö the emphasis is less on guidance and supervision and more on surveillance and threat of punishment.

The provisional license is typically applied to young newly licensed drivers and impose restrictions on driving privileges. For instance they have tighter license suspension rules than those imposed on experienced drivers, restrictive driving times, and mandatory completion of a one-year violation-free driving period.

The graduated license are provided to new drivers to give them the "Opportunity to gain experience under conditions that minimize the exposure to risk." For instance, as experience and competence are gained, the opportunity for exposure to risky situations is gradually phased in included in the following stages:

Australia is now practicing the conceptual stages of a three year graduated license scheme.

All three licensing programs has a control ideology behind it. It was assumed that if these restrictions are put into play with novice drivers, driving and the safety in driving will be considered because of the harsh penalties that go along with it.

Having these types of licensing restriction have contributed to having a reduction in the number of automobile crashes. Can these types of license restrictions change the behavior in ones driving, or will it take more than that?

THE LICENSING CONTEXT

Beyond having these types of traffic safety agents, the drivers license symbolizes quality of life, good times, and employment. It is a symbol of self-respect, material prosperity, and individual mobility. Without a license, it would be hard to get around to the places that we need to get to with ease. For example, individuals living in an urban area would find it difficult to get around to work, to the store, to the doctor, etc, without a means of some kind of transportation. The driver license is a symbol of livelihood and life-style ö without it lives are restricted to just one part of the world making it difficult to live.

THE SOCIAL MEANING OF THE DRIVERâS LICENSE

The license also symbolizes a "coming of age" consequence. A teenager, for example, has the feeling of being an "adult" so to speak ö it shows that they are of age (at least for driving) which makes them feel independent ö itâs a socialization document. The drivers license is a form of identification ö itâs an extension of oneâs self.

CONCLUSION

So, we might ask ourselves· What is a driverâs license worth? Well, for me itâs a symbol of identification ö it gives me status in the driving world ö without it, life would definitely be difficult for me. It saves me time ö and time is very valuable. For example, I would rather spend my money on gas and maintenance on a car to get where I want to go faster, than wait around for a bus which would take me three time longer to get where I want to go. Througout the whole chapter, Rothe has been trying to identify what is it exactly that we need in order to get a liscense? Is it just answering a bunch of questions that really isn't enough to show that one has ability to drive. Alternatively, should we be required to take psychological test to help prove our validity of driving?

Driving deals with our affective thoughts, our sensory motor, and our cognitive thinking. Don't you think we should be tested on all three aspects? I do!