David Taylor & Keith Laybourn 
The Battle for the Roads of Britain 
Police, Motorists and the Law, c.1890s to 1970s

Policing in Britain was changed fundamentally by the rapid emergence of the automobile at the beginning of the twentieth century. This book seeks to examine how the police reacted to this challenge and moved to segregate the motorist from the pedestrian in an attempt to eliminate the ‘road holocaust’ that ensued.

Table of Content

Contents

1. The Challenge Of Automobility And The Response Of Policing In Britain: An Overview Of A New Vista

2. Historiography And Argument

3. ‘An Unwanted But Necessary Task’: Traffic Policing And The Enforcement Of The Law, C. 1900-1939

4. Policing In The New Age Of Mass Motoring C 1940 To 1970s: Motor Patrolling, To Q Cars, Z Cars, Unit Beat Policing

5. Engineering The Environment C.1900-1970: Congestion, Meters And Redefining The Urban Landscape

6. Traffic Accidents And Road Safety: The Education Of The Pedestrian And The Child, 1900-1970

About the author

Keith Laybourn is Diamond Jubilee Professor at the University of Huddersfield, UK, and has taught history at Huddersfield for 43 years. A prolific writer of books and articles, he has published Policing in England and Wales, 1918-1939, with David Taylor, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Huddersfield, UK, who also contributed to this book.