Exploring the effect of motor traffic on street crime

Traffic impacts street safety in multiple, often under-recognised ways. In addition to their polluting effect and the obvious risk they pose to pedestrians, the speaker hypothesises that heavy motor traffic may also be associated with increased street-level crime. 

He elaborates this argument drawing from a wide range of well established crime theories. He explores the proposition using longitudinal data from Understanding Crime, and two-way fixed effects models. 

He finds that perceptions of crime are higher in neighbourhoods affected by heavy motor traffic. More importantly, he finds that these two phenomena are associated across time, suggesting a likely causal effect. Lastly, he notes that the causal effect of motor traffic on street crime is likely mediated by collective efficacy; i.e. traffic erodes community ties, which in turn make informal surveillance less effective.

This event will be particularly useful to all researchers, policy makers, teachers, students and others who are interested in quantitative social sciences.

Related links

• QSS and CLS seminar series
• Quantitative Social Science
• Centre for Longitudinal Studies
• Social Research Institute

Image

fotosr52 via Adobe Stock.