Monaco. Barcelona. Melbourne. Shanghai. Sao Paulo. And yes, Austin, Texas, USA.
What do these and dozens of other international cities have in common? They all host the premier auto racing series Formula 1.
With the most expensive cars, best drivers and international flair, these three-day events bring hundreds of thousands of spectators, along with their spending power and their vacation-like mindset.
Yet, even with the hundreds of millions of dollars that these events bring to local economies—not to mention the tourism publicity generated through the hundred million viewers world-wide—are there adverse consequences, such as an increase in crime, including sex and human trafficking?
A recent study that I published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology with my co-authors Dr. Nicole Leeper Piquero and Ph.D. student Jordan Riddell, set out to examine this question for the October 2018 Formula 1 race held at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) racetrack just outside Austin, Texas.
Our study regarding crime around the Austin race is not only the first of its kind; it is also important within the context of the State of Texas. This is because the state required the managers of COTA to submit a human (sex) trafficking plan as part of their overall emergency strategy to the office of the attorney general and the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency in order to receive a sizable subsidy—in the tens of millions of dollars— to offset the cost of hosting the race.
So what did we learn about our investigation of crime during the F1 race weekend in Austin in 2018?
Good news.
Using data collected from the Austin Police Department, our findings showed that violent, property, and sex/human trafficking-related offenses did not increase throughout the weekend of the race at COTA. And for the six crimes included in our measure of sex/human trafficking, only one was reported during race weekend, an aggravated kidnapping in the downtown area, for which an arrest was made.
While attendees of this year’s event and authorities shouldn’t let their guard down, Texas public safety and government officials should take solace in the fact that, at least with respect to crime, there is no adverse effect in hosting the race in the Austin area,
Is there a lesson here for similar mass entertainment and sporting events elsewhere—such as this weekend’s Super Bowl at Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens?
There have been occasional incidents at theme parks, for instance the brawl at Disneyland in Anaheim, Ca., last July 4th weekend, which was quickly neutralized by law enforcement.
A study of Orlando’s Universal Studios Florida theme park in which I participated last year found high concentrations of criminal activity outside a one-mile radius of the park.
And there have been frequently voiced concerns by legislators about sex trafficking around Super Bowl events, though not backed up by evidence.
Clearly, safety at these mass gatherings requires diligence among spectators as well as careful planning and enforcement by security and police personnel.
But we feel confident in making the argument that in this one area of American life—the auto racing events that galvanize so many fans and provide an escape from the workaday world—crime should not be a concern.
If you’re heading to the Super Bowl or similar events, it makes sense to take precautions to keep yourself and your valuables safe.
The same lesson applies if you’re an auto racing fan, but that shouldn’t stop you from circling the weekend of October 23-25 on your calendar for the 2020 Formula One United States Grand Prix in Austin!
Alex R. Piquero is Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology and Director of Social Impact Research at The University of Texas at Dallas and Professor of Criminology at Monash University. His twitter tag is @DrAlexPiquero.