7 - Rights, Authority, and the Police

Abstract

This chapter has a starting point in the observation that the automotive system has many negative outcomes; yet, there is no significant public debate of accident rates, noise, or emissions. One explanation is that automobile norms are framed within powerful discourses of “automobile rights,” which are maintained by different actors through strategies such as blame shifting, fear messaging, and the invoking of constitutional rights. Automobile rights also question the legitimacy of government to restrict the car. Where transport governance is questioned—also through processes of “automobile agnotology”—this can result in the questioning of authority and even hatred of government. This erodes the power to govern, also in the context of the automotive system. Notably, a share of citizens may already believe that they exist outside the law, as is demonstrated in a discussion of traffic behavior of celebrities and diplomats. Popular culture, including car movies, songs, and social media, may reinforce perspectives critical of the police.