Psycho tests for drivers?

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The decision of the Land Transportation Office in Region I to require new applicants for driver's license to undergo psychological testing is a very sensible one, indeed.

So many times within the past few months have we heard or read of fatal incidents involving drivers who lost their temper on the road, or who appear to have grudges on their minds that make them prone to violence, some of which have ended with the killing of persons they do not even know, but have managed to harm because of some psychological disorder.

Police and the media have coined a name for this kind of tendency, they call it “road rage”. We hear of drivers, and even of policemen and bystanders who were shot, mauled, or berated by this kind of driver. This has happened, not only in metropolitan areas like Metro Manila, but even in the highways of distant provinces, when traffic altercations, or even just insistence on who has the right of way, had led to bloody confrontations.

Officials of the LTO in Region I said they will impose psychological as well as stress tolerance tests on all new applicants for licenses. This way, it can be determined how a potential driver will react to the stresses and challenges on the road, especially with the traffic, particularly in cities, continuing to grow every year.

According to the officials of the LTO in La Union, this move has been welcomed by their national officials. That is a good sign, and it is hoped that the experiment in Region I, that is expected to start in June, this year, will prove successful, to the point that it will be approved for national implementation.

Perhaps we will then see less of the tragedies caused by the so-called “road rage”, and also feel more confident as we deal with road and traffic problems everyday.*