Social Control in the Road and Urban Environment: Comparative Analysis

Under the aegis of social control theory, this work aims to identify the main differences between police pursuits of vehicles on highways and urban roads. The perceptions of military road police officers in Minas Gerais about the characteristics of vehicle chase occurrences are used, identifying the main differences between vehicle pursuits on highways and in urban areas. The data collection instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using statistical tools and content analysis. Among the differences between the pursuit of vehicles in the urban area and on the highways, 6 (six) of them make up a total of 68% of the total differences that emerged. These 6 (six) main differences are as follows: a) vehicle speed; b) characteristics of the roads; c) onlookers – presence of people on the roads; d) risk of accidents; e) characteristics of the siege and blockade operations; f) difficulties in communications.