This paper describes the NAFA courses, a special training programme for German probationary drivers found guilty of DWI (any drinking and driving offence). Under German law, each such driver must undergo and pay for a NAFA course, which consists of a preliminary talk and three sessions of about three hours each. A course is conducted by a specially trained traffic psychologist, and has 10-12 participants. It aims to teach a probationary driver with drinking problems specific knowledge about alcohol and accident risks. Even more, it aims to show the driver how to become more aware, more concerned for other road users, and more perceptive and sensitive, through analysing his own experiences with alcohol. Most participants enter a course not very well motivated for it, because they consider themselves unlucky and have little problem awareness. In the author's experience, the only way to promote the development of a group process in a course, and increase the participants' willingness to cooperate, is through the moderator's attitude and behaviour. Thus the course leader should begin by using psychotherapeutic techniques to get the group process going. When it is active, he only needs to moderate. He should be open-minded and impartial to the participants.
Abstract