Characteristics of Perpetrators of Serious Violence on the Roads

Abstract

This study examined data from convicted offenders in the Australian state of Victoria to examine whether the perpetrators of interpersonal violence differ between road and non-road contexts. A case–control methodology was used to compare data from 31 episodes of road violence with 31 episodes of violence against strangers that resulted in similar charges but which occurred in non-road contexts. Information regarding perpetrators was obtained from prosecution legal files. Psychiatric contact information was obtained from the Victorian public mental health database on both cases and controls. Although a sizeable proportion of incidents of road violence was perpetrated by persons who had not previously been criminally violent, this proportion was not significantly different from that found in the controls. The study provides support for causal models of road violence that emphasize individual traits rather than environmental factors and thus has implications for preventative strategies.

Key words:

• aggression
• forensic
• mental disorder
• road rage
• violence

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Criminology Research Council (Grant 18/04–05).