So-called "joy-riding" has a definite social rather than anti-social content, according to the authors of a study on the phenomenon.
The Social Context of Young People's Involvement in Joy-ridingwas one of many papers discussed at the Sociological Association of Ireland's 34th annual conference, held at the weekend.
More than 100 delegates attended the three-day event at the University of Limerick.
Among the many papers discussed was a study on joy-riding, carried out by Michael Rush (UCD) Paula Brudell (TCD) and Aogan Mulcahy (UCD).
On the basis of fieldwork conducted in Priorswood, on the northern edge of Dublin city, the researchers discovered a social dimension which is most evident from the public display it involves.
Moreover the stolen cars are brought to known "flashing" spots, where crowds gather to watch joy-riders demonstrate their driving skills.
The authors argue that this form of car theft is in tune with established values of individualism, consumerism and masculinity.
"There's no doubt that joyriding is a dangerous activity. The real issue is how you understand it . . . and one of the reasons people would return to an area with cars is specifically because of the social context where they drive by, and they perform and an audience gathers," said Prof Mulcahy of UCD's school of sociology.
However, what motivates joy-riders is very similar to what motivates everybody else and is indicative of how ingrained the car culture has become in modern society, Prof Mulcahy said.
"I think in many ways joy-riders are just picking up cues from Irish society and while it's important to be clear about . . . the immense damage that joy-riding causes there is a much more significant problem which is associated with legitimate car use and what people often refer to as "lunatic driving".
"In a sense the links between joy riding and legitimate 'lunatic driving' are much closer than people realise," he added.