The OP made me think of how to define a "Responsible Driver" - i.e. one who is fit to be let loose behind the wheel of a motor vehicle on the public roads.
We have a system there by which all drivers are required by the government to be tested in the theory and practice of driving. You must be aged 16 or over to take the test , and according to Wikipedia the pass rate is only about 52% for the theory test and 43% for the practical. All qualified drivers are registered on a government database, enabling the traffic police to immediately identify those who are unqualified to drive.
As everyone knows, this means that only careful and courteous drivers can be found on our roads. They all know better than to exceed the speed limits, or cut up or tailgate other drivers.
Following up this train of thought, I looked up "bad driving" on the Internet and found a Huffington Post article which said this, among other things:
"The reason for all this [bad driving] is that people are jerks and they are especially, doubly jerks when they get behind the wheel.
"They are also jerks when they are not driving. People are jerks when they are prevented from doing what they want, when they want. It used to be that only a two year old had a hissy fit when they were stymied in any way, now it is adults...
"The most common response is for them to start screaming about their rights. 'I can do what I want!' they will shout...
"I would call that a symptom of a mental illness, some sort of sociopathy, but if everyone is like that it is not an illness, it is normal.
I am aware that this feeling is a function of age and that really old people are known for this attitude. The reason for that is not that old people are crotchety, it is that they have had the opportunity to witness other people over a long period of time and have come to the inescapable conclusion that the human race is one giant flaming ass."
(
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nick-abbot/the-human-race-has-crossed-the-line_b_7306902.html)
The comments there are the writer of the article's own opinion - but do you think any of this could apply in any way to the caving scenario?