Uh-oh, we were going there: Environmentally occasioned noticings of trouble in in-car interaction

This paper examines environmentally occasioned noticings in social interaction in cars, between the driver and the passenger(s), as they occur as part of the overall mobile driving activity. Two types of noticings are discussed. The first type consists of noticings which do not have a direct connection to the driving activity, and typically concern the scenery or the other traffic. Such observations can justifiably be done either by the driver or the passenger(s). Noticings in the second group are used to indicate that the current so-far un-problematic course of the drive is observably compromised and that it possibly requires adjustment in some manner Such noticings are typically done by the driver It is argued that the driver's noticings that make salient some trouble are used as displays of accountability and for assuming responsibility for one's actions. Such noticings are further shown to involve a set of recurrent turn constructional features, which contribute to the emergence of a conversational format for carrying out noticings of journey-related trouble in in-car interaction. The analyses are based on examining video recordings of the drivers' and passengers' social accomplishment of noticings and the ensuing sequences of interaction.