A comparative analysis of the nature and extent of traffic offences and their relationship to other non-traffic offences

This study examined the relationship between traffic offences and other types of crime through a comparative analysis of their characteristics and temporal/spatial dynamics. The results suggest that serious traffic offences, disturbances and offences against the person share similar characteristics and occur in concentrated places at similar times. This gives credence to the notion suggested by other studies (Broughton 2003; Rose, 2000; Sugg, 1998) that there is an association between serious traffic offending and general criminality. The findings demonstrate the value of place based theories of crime and indicate that targeting specific criminal offences at times and places through problem oriented policing may have potential for reducing serious traffic offences. The authors suggest a more comprehensive model to explain the relationship between traffic offending and criminality.