Psychotechnology and insanity at the wheel.

The article discusses psychological testing of automobile drivers performed by the Psychopathic Clinic affiliated with the Traffic Court of the Detroit Recorder's Court. Between 1936 and 1965 more than 15,000 drivers who had either run afoul of the traffic codes or been involved in a traffic collision. A statistical analysis of these cases reveals that the psychologists and psychiatrists working at the clinic were reinforcing existing ethnic, racial, and gender stereotypes in their pursuit of traffic safety. Patients who were deemed unfit drivers were recommended to the judges for sanctions ranging from license revokations to forced committment.