SIR,--It is commonly assumed that the only possible protection against
crime is a threat of apprehension and punishment for wrongdoers. But there may be a more effective form of deterrence: a promise of recognition and reward for rightdoers. It is practised in prisons. If prisoners arc well-behaved, it is not necessarily because they fear incurring such penalties as solitary confinement and a bread-and-water diet, but, more likely, because they hope to earn advan- tages, including, notably, remission of sentence.
Might not this same principle be applied in dealing with motorists? In this country, apparently, there are many criminally bad drivers who are not only undeterred by punitive threats but, for one reason or another, are able to defy the law with impunity. And in the United States, where the rules are tougher and the chances of apprehension greater, the situation is much the same.
I would suggest the formation of a National Association of Good Drivers. It would be under official auspices, and its members would occupy approximately the same position in the motoring community as 'Trusties' do in a prison. They would be given an official badge of honour to put on their cars and, as a less symbolic commendation, would be entitled to certain privileges of the road. For example, a number of parking spaces in urban areas would be reserved for their use alone; and they would be permitted, at their own risk, to drive through sleepy villages after midnight at more than 30 tn.p.h.
Membership in the association would be automatic for all those who had held a driver's licence for five consecutive years without a conviction of any kind. For others it would be earned on a points system. Periods of blameless driving would be fixed as being necessary to wipe out previous offences according to their gravity, each period representing so many points. But additional points could be earned as a result of commendation from the police for acts of outstandingly resourceful or courteous driving. For under this scheme the police would be as much con- cerned to praise the good motorist as to blame the bad, and would thereby, incidentally, be offered an opportunity to mend their fences with the public at large.—Yours faithfully, 13 Highgate West Hill, N6
GILES PLAYFAIR
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