The DCA2 is a standardized on-road evaluation that measures not only driving skills, but also the decision making skills of a driver under various conditions including internal and external distracter conditions. The driver profile created gives a measure of a driver's ability to manage risk while driving, or in other words their crash potential. A DCA2 addresses the question of "how much is this driver at risk in comparison to other drivers?"

The DCA2 protocol provides a relative measure of those attributes which current research suggests are most directly related to crash involvement - decision making, risk management, inattention and distractibility. The DCA2 measures a driver's ability to manage risk by assessing how a driver matches his or her cognitive, attentional and psycho-motor skills with their decision making behavior. The DCA2 assesses how they match their choice behaviors with their driving abilities. The higher order executive functions required for driving are measured.

The DCA2 measures a paramedic's crash potential, in high and low complexity situations, by comparing the candidate with 'average', under these conditions:
  1. normal driving,
  2. internally distracted, and
  3. externally distracted
The six driving parameters are measured - Headway, Junctions, Vehicle Handling, Speed, Time Management and Space Management.

This assessment measures crash potential in the form of a competency/risk driver profile and is used for:
  1. 'due diligence' purposes,
  2. 'for cause'( i.e. incidents or driving concerns), or
  3. as a pre-hiring assessment
      The DCA2 Advantage
  • The DCA2 Gives managers and supervisors a competency/risk management profile to identify
  • Creates a profile indicating where the drive is on a normal distribution of risk
  • Determines the individual's likelihood of being involved in a crash
  • Determines much variability the driver exhibits
  • The driver is measured while multi-tasking
  • The driver is measured in both simple and complex driving situations.
  • The DCA2 is standardized across North America
  • The DCA2 is scientifically based, and therefore ensures due diligence on the part of the employer.


The DCA2 gives Managers and Supervisors a tool to identify weak drivers who may be at risk specifically in the area of distracter conditions, both external and internal. If we place someone in a driving position without some knowledge of whether they are overloading their capabilities we are significantly increasing the risk to these individuals.

The DCA2 is the only measure known which provides this type of information. When used as a pre-hire measure the DCA2 is a valuable tool to screen applicants for driving positions by profiling their basic driving abilities and risk management skills.
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