NCJ Number
204321
Date Published
2003
Length
248 pages
Annotation
This book discusses the theft of and from cars as well as offenses involving drivers and wider society.
Abstract
Chapter 1 describes society’s embeddedness within car culture and defines car crime as all offenses that relate to road traffic law. Theoretical perspectives on car crime are discussed and include rational choice perspective, social control theories, strain theory, and gender-based theories. Key themes in this book are a lack of seriousness that characterizes driving offenses, their perception and treatment, how car crime is constructed, how legal responsibility is placed with individual drivers rather than society, and the fact that much car crime is male car crime. Chapter 2 traces the social history of the motor car through the last century in Britain, showing how car ownership began as a privilege of the elite and spread to the masses, causing hostility and conflict along the way. Chapter 3 illustrates how driving offenses are rarely treated as real crime or as serious by the criminal justice system, explanations for which include legal arguments concerning moral culpability and a critical criminological analysis. Chapters 4 through 8 focus on specific kinds of car crime and the general format for each offense type, including who commits them and any theoretical explanations linked with research. The offenses covered are theft of and from vehicles, impaired driving, speeding, bad driving, and unlicensed driving. The matter of abandoned, untaxed vehicles is also included. A review of current efforts at crime control is provided, along with comments highlighting priority issues. Chapter 9 broadens the discussion from offending by individuals to delay, inaction, poor standards, and a lack of safety culture involving the commercial sector. Chapter 10 details the car’s sociopolitical history and car culture, highlighting continuing concerns for the control of car crime and its future prospects. 18 tables, 56 notes, 423 references, index