Joyriding refers to driving or riding in a stolen

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...

, most commonly a car, with no particular goal other than the pleasure or thrill of doing so or to impress other people. The term "Joy Riding" was coined by a New York judge in 1908. Joyriders often act opportunistically and choose easy targets (key-on-ignition while shopping, neighbor's car...). Like other car thieves, they can also gain access to locked cars with a flathead

screwdriver A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been repla ...

and a

slide hammer A slide hammer is a tool that attaches to an object needing to be pulled and transmits an impact force to the object without striking the object itself. Slide hammers typically consist of a long metal shaft with an attachment point at one end, ...

, although modern cars have systems to prevent a screwdriver from opening locks. Locks in cars manufactured before the early to mid-1990s were very weak and could be opened easily. The vehicle is started by either hot-wiring or breaking the ignition lock. Ignition systems were much less sophisticated before the early to mid-1990s and easier to bypass. The vehicle is often driven through rural areas or less busy residential areas to avoid police notice, and dumped when it is exhausted of fuel or damaged. Many cases of joyriding end up with the vehicle burnt out with petrol or sustaining serious damage. Joyriding is most often committed when people are with peers, rather than alone.

Incidence and laws

Under English law and other common-law systems,England and Wales; http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60 Theft Act 1968 (c. 60)], ss. 12, 12A; Scotland: ''Strathern v. Seaforth'', 1926 J. C. 100
Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52)
s. 178; Northern Ireland
Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 (Chapter 16)
s. 12
Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (No. 154 (N.I. 1))
Art. 172 joyriding is not considered to be theft because the intent to "permanently deprive" the vehicle's owner of the vehicle cannot be proven. Instead, joyriding constitutes a separate, statutorily established offense of "unauthorized use" or "taking without owner's consent" (usually known by the acronym TWOC, or the slang terms "twoccing" or "twocking"). In 2007, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, most car thefts involved joyriding.

United Kingdom

Joyriding was a major problem in the United Kingdom during the 1980s and accelerated in the 1990s, but has eased off since the year 2000 largely due to improved security standards on newer cars and the number of old cars with more basic security diminishing. Many surviving older cars have had modern security features fitted in order to reduce the risk of theft. High performance cars, including Ford's high performance XR and

Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotive industry, ...

models, were a popular choice for car thieves when joyriding in the United Kingdom was its peak, which contributed to a rise in insurance premiums for owners of such vehicles. Many motorists fitted their cars with security features before such equipment became standard on new cars. Since the advent of immobilisers and car alarms, car thieves have frequently mugged motorists or broken into their homes in order to steal the keys to a car. In 2005, the Home Office conducted a survey to find out the most stolen cars per registered in the UK: # Vauxhall Belmont (1986–1991) #

Vauxhall Astra The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. It is currently produced at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand ...

Mk2 (1984–1991) # Ford Escort Mks 3 and 4 (1980–1990) #Austin/MG Metro (1980–1990) # Vauxhall Nova (1983–1993) # Ford Orion (1983–1993) # Rover Metro (1990–1994) #Austin/MG/Rover Maestro (1983–1994) #Austin/MG/Rover Montego (1984–1994) #

Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car marketed by Ford since 1976 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and has been positioned below the Escort (later the ...

Mks1, 2 and 3 (1976–1995) The lack of security in older cars compared to modern equivalents is reflected in the fact that all of the cars listed had been out of production for at least 10 years, and the oldest examples of most of these cars were at least 20 years old. In 2009, the Home Office conducted a new survey and found out the most stolen cars (per registered) were as follows: #

(1980–present) # Volkswagen Golf (1974–present) #

(1976–present) # Ford Focus (1998–present) # Ford Escort (1968–2000) # Vauxhall Corsa (1993–present) # Ford Mondeo (1993–present) # Ford Transit (1964–present) # Vauxhall Vectra (1995–2008) # Honda Civic (1972–present) The information released does not show the specific generation of a car, making it difficult to determine how many older examples were stolen in relation to more modern ones. For instance, the Ford Transit nameplate dates back to 1964, and the

first appeared in 1976. However, the Ford Focus is the only nameplate on the list to have been introduced after 1995, around the time that car security standards became more advanced.

United States

In the United States, the most stolen cars in 2007 (per registered) were: # Honda Civic # Honda Accord # Toyota Camry # Ford F-150 # Chevrolet Silverado # Acura Integra #

Ram 1500 The Ram pickup (marketed as the Dodge Ram until 2010) is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by Stellantis North America (formerly Chrysler Group LLC and FCA US LLC) and marketed from 2010 onwards under the Ram Trucks brand. The current fift ...

# Nissan Sentra # Toyota Pickup # Toyota Corolla

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, joyriding is a common crime, and many people have campaigned against it. Since the 1980s, a number of youth gangs have been in existence, particularly in nationalist areas of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, dedicated to joyriding and other criminal activities. During

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

, paramilitaries such as the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish re ...

administered to suspected joyriders extralegal punishment, usually consisting of breaking their fingers or kneecaps, in order to temporarily or permanently incapacitate them from operating most motor vehicles. These punishments are still given today by the

Continuity IRA The Continuity Irish Republican Army (Continuity IRA or CIRA), styling itself as the Irish Republican Army (), is an Irish republican paramilitary group that aims to bring about a united Ireland. It claims to be a direct continuation of the ori ...

, a breakaway organization from the Provisional IRA.

References

{{reflist Motor vehicle theft Hazardous motor vehicle activities 1900s neologisms

Incidence and laws

United Kingdom

United States

Northern Ireland

See also

References