DRIVER'S DISPOSITION

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 598, 26 February 1929, Page 6

DRIVER'S DISPOSITION

REVEALED AT THE WHEEL Psychologists have said that to participate in some game with a person is to find out that individual's real character. It is now claimed that to sit in a motor-car beside tlie driver is one of the best means of learning that driver's disposition. How he reacts to various situations which come up in operating a motor vehicle gives a fairly accurate line on the true values of his personality. If this is the real situation it would be of great value to youug women who are contemplating matrimony. By going with him on frequent rides and studying his conduct in heavy traffic, in accidents, however minor, in breakdowns, in running out of gas and the like, she can get first-hand information on his general make-up.

How a person reacts to the backseat driver should comprise one of the most severe tests by way of indicating character qualities. The operator of a motor-car who can maintain a good disposition in spite of suggestions concerning his driving which come from another party in the car may be put down as a congenial person with whom to live. How a man handles a car in heavy traffic indicates the control he has over his nervous system. How a driver reacts to a breakdown to his car in some lonely spot, miles from the nearest service station, will show something of his temper. How a motorist conducts himself in case of accident where people are injured will give a line on his sympathetic nature. There are dozens of ways in which disposition and character can be determined through a study of an individual driving a motor-car.