The deterrence of high speed driving: a criminological perspective

This report adopts a criminological approach to the problem of fast driving, and its main focus is on motivations for high speeding, strategies of prevention and deterrence, and the socio-cultural context in which speeding takes place. The research conducted included depth interviews with fast drivers, traffic police officers, magistrates and driving instructors; a survey of users of a road where cameras had been installed; and a multi-variate study using aggregate statistical data to explore compliance with speed limits in the USA. Given that solutions are likely to arise from a combination of external and internal approaches, these are reflected in the report's conclusions. The main conclusion is that the problem of speeding is a socio-cultural one and cannot be located solely with the individual driver; in our westernised car culture with everything geared towards speed and mobility, the state must take the lead in attempting to modify drivers' attitudes as to the desirability of high speed. Further, the strong impression was that those who drive fastest do so partly because they feel most invincible and most in control, and research is encouraged to understand how this misperception of invulnerability arises and how it can be changed. (A)