Leave-taking as multiactivity: Coordinating conversational closings with driving in cars

Abstract

This paper uses conversation analysis and video-based methods to study how the driver and passengers interact in order to coordinate multiple activities in cars. The video data have been recorded in naturally occurring driving situations in Britain and Finland. The analysis focuses on leave-taking during drop-offs, i.e. situations where the driver is pulling over for a momentary stop to let a passenger out of the car. It shows how in-car participants time and coordinate the conversation's closing step by step with respect to the car's movement and the eventual stop; i.e. they coordinate leave-taking as multiactivity. The paper suggests that some of the ways in which leave-taking is managed as multiactivity contributes to the construction of safety in traffic.