It seems, from recent research, that in general, drivers are less likely to behave recklessly or inattentively if they have passengers in the car. This is believed to be due to the responsibility which a driver feels towards his or her charges.
So if we consider newly-qualified drivers, we could arrange a parent pooling scheme in which each driver was always accompanied by some combination of responsible, older relatives. This wouldn’t be very practical, but today’s invention suggests a way to curb road craziness by the use of simple technology.
Each newly qualified driver would have to carry a webcam the images from which would be wirelessly communicated to a website viewable only by a designated subset of their family members. The camera would automatically shut off when the car was parked. After a trip, the monitors could independently text or email their comments or suggestions in connection with manoeuvres which seemed less than safe. This resembles the ‘well-driven?’ stickers on some commerial vehicles, but based on a much bigger personal investment in providing useful feedback.
In this way, at the cost of some loss of privacy, the driver would be aware of the potential virtual presence of some guardians/scrutineers and thus be less inclined to misbehave at the wheel.
