Examines the interaction between the processes of technization & civilization, focusing on transformations in transport since the nineteenth century. Examined are two stages of the revolution of transport for people: the stage of the motor vehicle & the development of the airplane. It is argued that these technological innovations are developmental in nature, involving unplanned & unfinished social processes of: experimentation, not-yet-knowing, risks, & maturing. It is argued that although surges in technization tend to correspond with spurts in civilization, often decivilization occurs at a newly reached stage of technization. Drawing on international statistical data on road accidents, 1950s-1980s, an illustration is offered of the maturation period of the road vehicle, distinguished by a civilizing spurt toward individual self-regulation & a decivilizing spurt characterized by increased deaths & physical injuries caused by vehicle accidents. S. Davies

source: Sociological Abstracts, Inc.