Introduction

Abstract

It is a commonplace observation that the motor-car has made offenders of us all, and it is true that many of us have convictions for traffic offences. Many of the commonest, however — speeding, parking — are now dealt with by fixed penalty notices, and a wide range of offences, including driving without insurance and drunken driving, are dealt with by the imposition of penalty points on our licences as well as a fine, with an accumulation of points leading to the loss of the right to drive. In practice most of the energies of traffic police are devoted to attempting to ensure drivers’ safety and smooth traffic flows. Even contacts with the public which are not solicited for assistance more usually involve paternalistic advice and admonition, rather than sanctioning. Only real excesses, such as theft of and from cars and attempts to evade police enquiries by flight involve real repression, with the police deploying a wide range of communications technology (radio, video cameras, thermal imaging, spotlights, loud hailers) in a coordinated pursuit of the motorist, sometimes with a helicopter as well as cars. Though most motorists probably do not refer to it after passing their driving test, they are required to familiarise themselves with the highway code in order to obtain a licence and this, like most traffic policing, accentuates the positive, providing a model for safe driving as well as clearly identifying malpractice.