Vehicular Abuse in Domestic Violence: An Overlooked Form of Coercive Control (Car Tracking)

Domestic abuse does not always take the form of physical violence. In many cases, abuse is subtle, repeated and designed to control a person’s everyday life. One lesser-known example is vehicular abuse: the use of a car or other vehicle as a tool of intimidation, restriction, surveillance or harm.

Although domestic abuse and coercive control are increasingly recognised within the legal system, vehicular abuse remains under-discussed. For many victims, however, access to transport can be the difference between independence and isolation. Where an abuser controls a person’s ability to drive, travel, work, seek help or leave the home, that behaviour may form part of a wider pattern of coercive control.

What is vehicular abuse?

Vehicular abuse occurs when a perpetrator uses a vehicle to manipulate, frighten, isolate or harm a victim. This can happen in several ways, including restricting access to a car, using reckless driving to instil fear, tracking a victim’s movements, or threatening to use a vehicle as a weapon.

It is important to understand that this behaviour may not appear obvious at first. A victim may believe the perpetrator is simply “controlling”, “angry” or “a dangerous driver”. In reality, the vehicle may be another means of asserting dominance and reducing the victim’s freedom.

Common forms of vehicular abuse

1. Controlling access to transport

   One of the most common forms of vehicular abuse is restricting a victim’s mobility. An abuser may take away car keys, refuse to allow the victim to drive, hide vehicle documents, or prevent access to the family car.

   
   

   This can severely limit the victim’s ability to work, attend appointments, see friends or family, take children to school, or seek legal and emotional support. Over time, this can make the victim increasingly dependent on the abuser.

2. Using a vehicle to isolate the victim

   A perpetrator may drive the victim to an unfamiliar, secluded or unsafe location and threaten to leave them there. The victim may then feel forced to comply with the abuser’s demands in order to avoid being abandoned.

   
   

   This tactic can be particularly frightening where the victim has no money, phone access, knowledge of the area, or safe way to return home.

   
   

3. Intimidation through reckless driving

   Some abusers use dangerous driving as a method of fear and control. This may include speeding, swerving, braking suddenly, driving aggressively, refusing to let the victim out of the car, or threatening to crash.

   
   

   The aim is often to frighten the victim and remind them that the abuser is in control. Even where no physical injury occurs, the psychological impact can be significant.

   
   

4. Surveillance and monitoring

   Vehicles can also be used to monitor a victim’s movements. An abuser may check mileage, inspect fuel levels, use GPS tracking, follow the victim, or question them about where they have been.

   
   

   This type of surveillance can make it extremely difficult for victims to seek help safely. It may also cause victims to feel that they are constantly being watched, even when they are away from the abuser.

   
   

5. Economic abuse involving transport

   Transport is often closely linked to financial independence. An abuser may refuse to let the victim use the car for work, education or childcare, or may force the victim to rely on them for lifts.

   
   

   This can prevent the victim from earning money, attending interviews, studying, or building an independent life. In this way, vehicular abuse may also overlap with economic abuse.

   
   

6. Threats or intentional harm using a vehicle

   In more extreme cases, a vehicle may be used as a weapon. This may include threatening to run the victim over, deliberately driving at them, causing an accident, or forcing them into dangerous driving situations.

   
   

   Such behaviour can create an immediate risk of serious injury or death and should be treated as a serious warning sign.

   
   

The impact on victims

Vehicular abuse can leave victims feeling trapped. Without safe access to transport, a person may be unable to leave the home, attend work, contact support services, or escape a dangerous situation.

It can also deepen the victim’s isolation from friends, family and professionals. When a person cannot travel independently, they may become more reliant on the perpetrator, making it harder to leave the relationship or report the abuse.

The emotional impact should not be underestimated. Being trapped in a vehicle, driven dangerously, tracked, threatened or abandoned can cause fear, anxiety, humiliation and a loss of autonomy.

Vehicular abuse and coercive control

In England and Wales, controlling or coercive behaviour is recognised under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. Domestic abuse is also defined broadly under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and can include controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, threatening behaviour, and psychological or emotional abuse.

Vehicular abuse may therefore fall within the wider pattern of coercive control, depending on the circumstances. For example, where an abuser repeatedly restricts a victim’s movements, monitors their journeys, threatens them in a vehicle, or uses transport to isolate them, this may be relevant evidence of controlling or coercive behaviour.

However, vehicular abuse is still not widely recognised as a distinct form of domestic abuse. There is limited academic and governmental research on the issue, and more awareness is needed among professionals, support services and the wider public.

Why recognition matters

Recognising vehicular abuse is important because it helps victims identify behaviour that may otherwise be dismissed or minimised. It also helps professionals ask the right questions.

For example, instead of only asking whether a victim has been physically assaulted, professionals may also need to ask:

• Does your partner control your access to a car?

• Have you ever been frightened by the way they drive?

• Do they track your journeys or check your mileage?

• Have they threatened to leave you somewhere unsafe?

• Do they prevent you from travelling to work, appointments or support services?

  
  

These questions can reveal patterns of control that may not be immediately obvious.

Conclusion

Vehicular abuse is an under-recognised but serious form of domestic abuse. A vehicle can be used not only for transport, but also as a tool of intimidation, surveillance, isolation, economic control and physical harm.

While the current legal framework may allow vehicular abuse to be considered as part of coercive or controlling behaviour, more explicit recognition is needed. Greater awareness, research and case studies would help ensure that victims are better protected and that this form of abuse is not overlooked.

Anyone experiencing this type of behaviour should seek support as soon as it is safe to do so. Legal advice may assist victims in understanding their options and the protective measures that may be available.