The Implications for Enforcement of Lawful Driving Behaviour

In: Policy & politics, Band 13, Heft 1, S. 53-70

Abstract

That there are implications for traffic law enforcement which can be drawn from studying lawful driving behaviour appears at first to be something of a paradox. This paradox results, however, from considering individuals who break traffic regulations as, in some sense, deviants whose behaviour is radically different from that of the majority of the population. The argument put forward in this paper is that in many cases the decision whether or not to commit an unlawful act is based upon an 'economic' assessment of the benefits or disbenefits (in the broadest sense) to the individual of committing one or other action. If this approach is adopted it becomes just as pertinent to analyse those factors which may prevent motorists from breaking the law as it is to analyse stated or observed reasons for breaking laws. In policy terms, reinforcing positive attitudes towards the law might be a powerful preventative medicine to be used in conjunction with the more retrospective use of warnings and fines which are used to punish those individuals who do offend.
The number of traffic offences detected and dealt with by warning letters, fixed penalties or court prosecutions totals over five million per year.