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IR14-015_Castillo.pdf (552.28 KB)

Document type

Working paper

Publication date

2014

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cc-by-nc-nd, (c) Fageda et al., 2014
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/57511

Are traffic violators criminals? Searching for answers in experiences of European countries

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Abstract

The connection between road traffic safety and criminal behavior has recently become a topic of interest in the literature, although little emphasis placed on the relationship with road accidents. Evidence worldwide shows that people who commit other offences characteristic of antisocial attitudes, are more prone to suffer road traffic accidents and infringe traffic laws. Here we examine the records of the 28 current member states of the European Union over the period 1999 - 2010. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that crime rates (and specifically, motor vehicle-related crimes) may be considered as predictors of fatal road traffic accidents. If they may, this could justify, at least prima facie, the tendency in several countries to consider traffic offences as crimes in their penal codes and to toughen the punishment imposed on those who commit them. We also analyze the effect of the severity of the legal system applied to traffic offences. Our results reveal that road traffic fatality rates are higher in countries whose inhabitants have more aggressive behavior, while the rates are lower in countries with more severe penal systems.

Subject

Infraccions de circulació, Seguretat viària, Dret comparat, Anàlisi econòmica

Subject (English)

Traffic violations, Traffic safety, Comparative law, Economic analysis

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Documents de treball (Institut de Recerca en Economia Aplicada Regional i Pública (IREA))
Documents de treball / Informes (Econometria, Estadística i Economia Aplicada)

Citation

FAGEDA, Xavier, CASTILLO MANZANO, José Ignacio and CASTRO NUÑO, Mercedes. Are traffic violators criminals? Searching for answers in experiences of European countries. IREA – Working Papers. 2014. Vol.  IR14/15. ISSN 2014-1254. [consulted: 12 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/57511

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