Texting and Driving: Can it be Explained by the General Theory of Crime?

There has been quite a bit of media attention devoted recently to the topic of distracted driving generally, and texting and driving specifically. Recent studies by scholars, as well as the Department of Transportation, have continued to demonstrate the dangers of texting while driving. Previous studies have found that texting while driving reduces reaction and control times even more than drinking and driving. At least one study found that drivers who text are 23 times more likely to crash relative to non-distracted drivers. Tougher laws may be alluring as a deterrent to this behavior, but according to the data in this study, 96 % of respondents knew it was against the law but continued to text and drive anyway. This finding casts doubt on the effectiveness of any new distracted driving laws. The general theory of crime (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990) posits that levels of self-control are tied to deviant behaviors such as texting while driving. Other studies have also found that levels of self-control were significantly tied to other dangerous driving behaviors such as driving while drinking and driving without using a seatbelt. The findings in this study add support to the general theory of crime by demonstrating that, among college students in this sample, higher self-control significantly reduces the amount of texting while driving.

[1]  Velmer S. Burton,et al.  THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF SELF-CONTROL: TESTING THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME* , 1997 .

[2]  Velmer S. Burton,et al.  Gender, Self-Control, and Crime , 1998 .

[3]  Susan Glaspell,et al.  The verge , 1922 .

[4]  Shayne Jones,et al.  the general theory of crime: how general is it? , 2004 .

[5]  Alex R. Piquero,et al.  Specifying the direct and indirect effects of low self-control and situational factors in offenders' decision making: Toward a more complete model of rational offending , 1996 .

[6]  David L. Myers,et al.  Low self-control, rational choice, and student test cheating , 1999 .

[7]  Andy Hochstetler,et al.  Self-control behind bars: A validation study of the Grasmick et al. scale , 2003 .

[8]  Robert Brame,et al.  ON THE ASSOCIATION AMONG SELF‐CONTROL, CRIME, AND ANALOGOUS BEHAVIORS , 2000 .

[9]  Jim P. Stimpson,et al.  Trends in fatalities from distracted driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008. , 2010, American journal of public health.

[10]  T. Pratt,et al.  THE EMPIRICAL STATUS OF GOTTFREDSON AND HIRSCHI'S GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME: A META‐ANALYSIS , 2000 .

[11]  Kimberly A. Patton.  Teens and Technology , 2011 .

[12]  Velmer S. Burton,et al.  Age, self-control, and adults' offending behaviors: A research note assessing A general theory of crime , 1999 .

[13]  G. Hutcheson.  The Multivariate Social Scientist: Introductory Statistics Using Generalized Linear Models , 1999 .

[14]  Robert A. Silverman,et al.  LOW SELF-CONTROL AND OPPORTUNITY: TESTING THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME AS AN EXPLANATION FOR GENDER DIFFERENCES IN DELINQUENCY* , 1999 .

[15]  G. Hutcheson.  The Multivariate Social Scientist , 1999 .

[16]  Harold G. Grasmick,et al.  Evaluating the Dimensionality and Invariance of ”Low Self-Control” , 1999 .

[17]  Michael R. Gottfredson,et al.  A general theory of crime. , 1992 .

[18]  Carter Hay,et al.  The development of self-control: Examining self-control theory's stability thesis. , 2006 .

[19]  B. Simons-Morton,et al.  Can I Take the Car? , 2000 .

[20]  Mitchell B. Chamlin,et al.  Academic dishonesty and low self‐control: An empirical test of a general theory of crime , 1998 .

[21]  John J. Gibbs,et al.  Self-control and its manifestations among university students: An empirical test of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory , 1995 .

[22]  John J. Gibbs,et al.  Parental Management and Self-Control: An Empirical Test of Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory , 1998 .

[23]  Harold G. Grasmick,et al.  Testing the Core Empirical Implications of Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime , 1993 .

[24]  Beth A. Sanders,et al.  Are Persons Low in Self-Control Rational and Deterrable? , 2008 .

[25]  John K. Cochran,et al.  Testing Gottfredson and Hirschi’s “low self-control” stability hypothesis: An exploratory study , 1998 .

[26]  David F. Melton,et al.  Distracted Driving: Examining the Effects of In-Vehicle Tasks , 2010 .

[27]  Kevin M. Beaver,et al.  Genetic influences on the stability of low self-control: Results from a longitudinal sample of twins , 2008 .

[28]  Avshalom Caspi,et al.  Does the Perceived Risk of Punishment Deter Criminally Prone Individuals? Rational Choice, Self-Control, and Crime , 2004 .

[29]  Bruce J. Arneklev,et al.  Testing the General Theory of Crime: Comparing the Effects of "Imprudent Behavior" and an Attitudinal Indicator of "Low Self-Control" , 2006 .

[30]  Robert Brame,et al.  THE STRUCTURAL SIMILARITY OF PROCESSES GENERATING CRIMINAL AND ANALOGOUS BEHAVIORS , 1998 .

[31]  Harold G. Grasmick,et al.  Low self-control and imprudent behavior , 1993 .

[32]  Paul S. Maxim,et al.  Drinking and Driving, Self-Control, and Gender: Testing a General Theory of Crime , 1993 .