Articulations of the Car: The Dominant Articulations of Racing and Rally Driving

Drawing on a number of sources, including social and cultural accounts of mobility, car advertising, and focus group discussions with young drivers, the violence of the car and its shaping influence in contemporary life are considered through an application of the idea of articulation from Grossberg. Highlighting articulations of the car, particularly those of racing and rally driving evident in certain types of advertising, allows an examination of the destructive potential of particular driving cultures and illustrates the meanings inscribed into the car, thus challenging its apparent neutrality. The racing articulations are connected to aggressive, competitive styles of driving, extending into competitive social relations and implicating an emphasis on aggressive individualism. There has been some dialogue in the road safety community about what counts as aggressive behavior but these discussions often do not consider the innate violence of the car itself and tend to consider only extreme behaviors as aggressive. The forms of self-control that arise in relation to the dominant articulations and the desires appealed to in advertising are sketched. Focus group responses to 2 car advertisements emphasising social competition and extreme thrill-seeking are discussed.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/17450101
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Taylor and Francis
• Authors:
  • Redshaw, Sarah
• Publication Date: 2007-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos; References;
• Pagination: pp 121-141
• Serial:
  • Mobilities
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISSN: 1745-0101
  • EISSN: 1745-011X
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmob20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Advertising; Aggression; Automobile drivers; Automobile driving; Crash causes; Crash risk forecasting; Focus groups; High risk drivers; Highway safety; Social factors; Social impacts; Television
• Uncontrolled Terms: Cultural influences
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01049785
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 8 2007 1:25PM