From Road Rage to Everyday Automotive Incivility: A Routine Activities Approach to Low-Level Deviance

Abstract

Classic sociological theory emphasizing human ecology and the convergence of persons in time and space motivated the "routine activities" approach in criminological research. Empirical work in this tradition focuses on predatory offending, and it has rarely been considered as a theoretical basis for the study of more common, low-level (mostly nonviolent) deviance. Using commonplace "automotive incivility" as a test case, the present work draws on the routine activities approach in precisely this manner to answer recent theoretical calls for an empirical sociology of familiar encounters and situations. Using data from a nationally representative sample of Australians, this article looks at the time/space distribution, situational commonalities, and emotional consequences of vehicular incivilities. Risk factors consistent with the routine activities paradigm include everyday driving activity and microsituations involving mixed speeds, crowded conditions, and blocked flows. Results also suggest that automotive incivility is more likely than other types of incivility to incite feelings of fear and anger.

Spatiotemporal Convergence of Crime and Vehicle Crash Hotspots: Additional Consideration for Policing Places

“…Similar to criminality, imprudent behaviors are the result of immediate gratification and a lack of regard for long-term consequences and aid in the explanation of a range of deviant behaviors. Such behaviors have also been shown to manifest in the form of traffic safety violations (Smith & King, 2013). Low self-control has been linked to drunk driving (Keane, Maxim, & Teevan, 1993) and a lack of seatbelt use (Vaughn, Salas-Wright, & Piquero, 2012).…”

Everyday incivility and the urban interaction order

“…While this raises epistemological questions of its own, it does provide another means for accessing rich data-both qualitative and quantitative-on incivilities. This view of incivility as subjectively interpreted is a core element of the everyday incivilities perspective (Phillips and Smith 2003;Smith et al 2010;Smith and King 2013). This works from the premise that unlike objects of natural scientific inquiry, uncivil encounters are not objectively observable, but are instead subjectively interpreted: rather than offender and victim, think offender and offended.…”