Rick Clapton is a second-year PhD student in the History Department of the University of Melbourne, where he is completing a research thesis on the criminalisation and policing of Melbourne’s traffic between 1900 and 1930. Originally from London, Ontario, Canada, he first became interested in drivers, driving and traffic during his time as Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (1999) at Parkwood Hospital, where he assisted people with disabilities to return to driving. During his undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario, Rick completed a thesis on the policing of London’s motor-traffic. Since moving to Melbourne he has discovered interesting comparisons between Australia’s adoption of the motor-car and that of North America.
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