Traffic psychological therapy
The aim of traffic psychological therapy (often also referred to as " traffic therapy" in common parlance) is not primarily the passing of the medical-psychological examination (MPU), but comprehensive promotion of fitness to drive in order to prevent future traffic violations . In order to achieve this goal, it is their task to induce changes in behavioral areas that were the cause of the traffic abnormalities.
The naturalized term "traffic therapy" is vague and not clearly defined. Its meaning leaves it unclear whether this is therapy for traffic or therapy for traffic. "Traffic therapy" is used synonymously with the more precise term "traffic psychological therapy".
Traffic therapy measures are voluntary and should be started early before an expected MPU. In principle, they are open to all road users who have violated legal provisions relating to road participation.
In close cooperation with lawyers, doctors and authorities, after a detailed initial examination to clarify the respective initial situation, the individual problem is dealt with. This usually takes the form of one-on-one interviews, which should be conducted by qualified psychologists / traffic psychologists .
History of traffic therapy
As early as 1937, Hallbauer demanded the establishment of public, psychological advice centers for road users. However, this proposal was not yet implemented at the time. With the introduction of the MPU in Germany, the start of renewed motorization after the Second World War and the associated experience with motorists who had been noticed, the demand for appropriate intervention measures arose more and more frequently in the 1950s.
A psychotherapy carried out from 1955 to 1960 at the Medical and Psychological Institute (MPI) Hanover on negatively assessed clients, however, was unsuccessful. The clients wanted their driver's license back and not psychotherapy.
The term traffic therapy was finally used for the first time in 1967 by Winkler and referred to a therapy for road users who were suspicious of alcohol. This should not be psychotherapy or traffic education, but a discussion of the causes of uncontrolled alcohol consumption and ways of changing these problems.
In 1979, IVT-Hö (Individual Psychological Traffic Therapy Höcher) was founded, the first traffic therapy institute, which offered a therapy tailored to the client based on traffic psychological knowledge. In 1984 the second practice followed with the traffic psychology practice (Meyer-Gramcko & Sohn). At the end of the 80s, based on the early concepts of Höcher and Meyer-Gramcko & Sohn, an increasing number of traffic psychological facilities were established that offered therapeutic individual measures for drivers with suspicious traffic.
In 1998, the working group "Clinical traffic psychologists" was within the section Traffic Psychology of the Professional Association of German Psychologists developed a so-called "self-declaration" (BDP). This declaration defines the professional political and professional ethical principles of the clinical traffic psychologists and serves to create a common basis for the work of traffic therapists.
The draft for the guiding principles of traffic psychological therapy is currently available, which was developed by a working group made up of therapeutic traffic psychologists, experts and scientists.
Occasions for a traffic therapy
Reasons for traffic therapy are usually recorded, significant and / or repeated, traffic-relevant norm violations.
The motivation for starting traffic therapy is therefore usually not a subjective level of suffering, but the legal sanctioning of such violations with a subsequent MPU order.
Four main groups of events can be distinguished:
- alcohol
A drunk ride with more than 1.6 per thousand or several drunk rides.
- Drugs
Drug-related abnormalities.
- Points
Achievement of 9 points in the central traffic register in Flensburg - Mürwik or particularly serious traffic violations.
- Criminal offenses
Offenses that indicate particularly high levels of aggressiveness or low impulse control.
Other, rather rare occasions may be the early issuing of a driver's license for young people aged 16 and over or physical / psychological illnesses that call into question their fitness to drive.
procedure
Traffic therapy usually consists of an initial examination, the therapy units and a final interview / report
- Initial examination
After the first telephone or personal contact, an appointment will be made for an initial consultation. The purpose of the conversation is to get an overview of the client's situation. In this conversation, the reason for the therapy as well as the time and legal framework should be clarified. On the other hand, the conversation serves to consider starting points for the following therapy and to give the client an insight into the joint, upcoming work.
- therapy
The duration of the therapy depends on the individual case. The aim of therapy is to reduce the likelihood of relapse. For this purpose, the following topics are worked on together with the client:
- Providing information
- detailed analysis of the respective abnormalities
- Developing a realistic and self-critical attitude towards one's own behavior in traffic
- Processing and changing consumption and driving behavior (in the event of drug or alcohol abuse)
- Clarification of the connection between abnormalities and personal life situation as well as problematic perception, evaluation and behavioral patterns
- Clarification of the extent of the problem and the extent to which this has directly or indirectly influenced traffic behavior
- Development of realistic perception, evaluation and behavior patterns
- Discuss potentially relapse-relevant situations
- Clarification of intentions to act, clear definition of behavioral goals for the future
- Closing meeting
If, from the therapist's point of view, the measure has been successfully completed, a final discussion takes place. The client is asked about various areas of traffic-related attitudes and behavior that were previously dealt with in therapy. If deficits are found during the conversation, the therapy is continued. If the conversation goes well, the therapy is over. The client then receives a detailed therapy report. This is used for submission to a subsequent MPU or to court. The report describes the starting point, process and content as well as results of the client's traffic therapy.
Criteria for serious traffic therapy
Since there are no legal requirements about who is allowed to carry out a traffic therapy measure, there are often dubious institutions. When choosing a therapist, you should therefore pay attention to certain characteristics that speak for a reputable institution:
- Proof of qualification for employed therapists, e.g. B. Psychologists at best with additional training as specialist psychologists for traffic psychology or traffic psychological consultants, social pedagogues and psychotherapists.
- Cost and performance transparency
- No advertising with success rates
- Consistent personal separation of advice and assessment
- No settlement via cash benefits
- Serious advertising appearances (internet, brochures, etc.)
- No advice in private rooms or hotels
- Regular quality assurance measures
- Reasonable prices: for a consultation hour with trained traffic therapists, depending on qualifications, between 80 and 150 euros are to be set. Offers from university graduates in the psychosocial professions such as social pedagogues, psychotherapists and certified psychologists are in the upper range, offers from driving schools or non-academic psychological advisors in the lower range.
Evaluation of traffic therapy measures
The effectiveness of traffic therapy should be checked in evaluation studies based on the criterion of legal probation . The term legal probation comes from the administration of criminal justice. It is given if, after completing a traffic therapy measure, the client does not suffer a relapse with regard to violations relevant to traffic law.
For such an effectiveness check of traffic therapy, the professional association of local traffic psychologists (BNV) checked the legal probation of 698 clients with different traffic anomalies with the help of the Federal Motor Transport Authority ( KBA).
Over a period of three years, only 3.3% (equivalent to: 23 people) had again conspicuous with traffic violations that led to a driver's license being withdrawn. According to Sohn and Meyer-Gramcko, relapse rates that are below 15% after three years confirm the success of a measure. According to various studies, the relapse rate of road users after passing the MPU without prior traffic therapy measures is around 30% after 10 years.
Traffic therapy can therefore be seen as a suitable procedure for restoring fitness to drive.
literature
- R. Born: Results of the BNV evaluation. In: Verkehrstherapie - series of publications by the Federal Association of Resident Traffic Psychologists. (PDF; 7.0 MB). 1, 2005, pp. 36-53.
- W. Echterhoff: Legal probation of alcohol-related drivers five years after completing the IVT-Hö® traffic therapy - Scientific support of the program as part of a quality control. University of Wuppertal 1997.
- U. Hallbauer: The importance of inner self-control for suitability for vehicles. In: Journal for Applied Psychology and Character Studies. 53, 1937, pp. 129-232.
- W. Jacobshagen: ALKOEVA and no end? In: blood alcohol. ( Memento from July 1, 2004 in the web archive archive.today ) 33, 1996, pp. 257–266.
- W. Jacobshagen, H.-D. Utzelmann: Medical-psychological assessment of suitability to drive for drivers who have been suspicious of alcohol and for drivers with a high score. Empirical results on the effectiveness and its diagnostic elements. TÜV Rheinland Publishing House, Cologne 1996.
- S. Klipp, E. Glitsch, M. Bornewasser: From Drunk Driving to Health Prevention : The Influence of Early Information and Advice on Drivers with Drunk Drinks on Participation in Rehabilitation Measures. Congress report 2005 of the German Society for Traffic Medicine eV In: Reports of the Federal Institute for Roads, People and Safety. 171, 2005, pp. 281-286.
- G. Kroj, H. Utzelmann, W. Winkler (Hrsg.): Psychological innovations for traffic safety. Deutscher Psychologen Verlag, Bonn 1993.
- F. Meyer-Gramcko, J.-M. Sohn: Evaluation of the traffic therapy . Zeitschrift für Verkehrssicherheit, 44, 1998, pp. 170-173.
- F. Meyer-Gramcko, J.-M. Sohn: Traffic Psychological Practice Annual Report 1997 . 1998.
- J. Raithel: A cognitive-behavioral model of deviant traffic behavior. In: magazine for traffic safety. 4, 2010, pp. 204-205.
- J. Raithel, A. Widmer: Deviant traffic behavior. A therapy manual. Hogrefe, Göttingen 2011.
- E. Stephan: The likelihood of relapse in the case of alcohol-related drivers in the Federal Republic of Germany - probation in the first 5 years after the driver's license has been re-issued. In: magazine for traffic safety. 30, 1984, pp. 28-33.
Web links
- Homepage of the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg
- Traffic Psychology Section of the Association of German Psychologists (BDP)
- Guiding principles of traffic psychological therapy
- Important information about legal regulations relating to driving licenses
- Information on a possible shortening of the waiting period through traffic psychological measures
Individual evidence
- ^ Hallbauer, 1937.
- ↑ Professional political and professional ethical principles of clinical traffic psychology - http://www.bdp-verkehr.de/verband/ak/selbstverstaendnis.html
- ↑ Principles of traffic psychological therapy - http://www.verkehrstherapie.de/
- ↑ See Federal Motor Transport Authority , New points system since May 1, 2014 , accessed on: June 17, 2015.
- ↑ R. Born, 2005 - http://www.bnv.de/vkth/Verkehrstherapie_01_2005.pdf
- ↑ F. Meyer-Gramcko, J.-M. Son, 1998.
- ↑ lecture Edzard glitch, quoted in Medical Journal.
- ↑ E. Stephan, 1984.
- ↑ Jacobshagen & Utzelmann., 1996