Joyride (crime)

Joyriding is driving or riding in a stolen vehicle, most commonly a car, with no particular goal other than the pleasure or thrill of doing so or to impress other people.

[citation needed] Many cases of joyriding end up with the vehicle interior soaked in petrol and lit to avoid forensic identification or at best sustaining serious damage resulting in expensive repairs or an insurance write-off.

Instead, joyriding constitutes a separate, statutorily established offense of "unauthorized use" or "taking without owner's consent" (usually known by the acronym TWOC, or the slang terms "twoccing" or "twocking").

In the United States, the most stolen cars in 2007 (per registered) were:[citation needed] In Northern Ireland, joyriding is a common crime, and many people have campaigned against it.

During The Troubles, paramilitaries such as the Provisional IRA administered to suspected joyriders extralegal punishment, usually consisting of breaking their fingers or kneecaps, in order to temporarily or permanently incapacitate them from operating most motor vehicles.