Citation

Naumann K. Blutalkohol 1980; 17(4): 233-247.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The article is based on a paper read at the conference of the Ev. Academy in Bad Boll in December 1979 on 'Human failure in road traffic'. The author pleads for the inclusion of social-ethical learning objectives in general traffic education and more specifically in driver training as dictated by our development into a fully motorised community. The general requirements demanded by modern road traffic (in depth information, physical and psychological ability) are not sufficient to achieve humanity in road traffic today. In addition it has become imperative to develop a 'traffic conscience' as moral basis of the motorised and non-motorised traffic participant. This can only be achieved by a lifelong learning process in which man accepts certain social-ethical norms as binding and practices these as e.g. caution vs preparedness to take risks; selfdiscipline vs agressive driving; consideration vs egiostic striving; co-operative vs rivalry. These social-ethical norms are prerequistites for survival but are difficult to achieve as they cannot be identified with our other social virtues. They are new 'technical virtues' which in our technical age must be learnt and outlived. The relevant legislation takes 'ethics in road traffic' for granted but cannot enforce it. All the more urgent the question of practicing social or ethical traffic norms becomes relevant due to the fact that participation in traffic is no longer a privilege but essential for existence. The chief cause of traffic offences no longer lies in the technical sphere but in the personal self with its inherent trend to egoism. The person remains the incalculable factor in traffic and the major cause of accidents. He is, however, prepared to learn, receptive to ethical values and can be trained to fellow human partnership behaviour. From a theological-ethical point of view the demand and justified hope may be inferred viz that by means of traffic education and ethics the traffic becomes humane and less accident prone. Traffic ethics is not a hobby of the elite as e.g. the 'gentleman at the wheel' but part of the quality of life in our social state.