Which Cars Get the Most Traffic Tickets?

An anonymous reader writes: Have you ever been pulled over for a traffic stop and wondered if your sporty car was what caught the officer's attention? Ever had an officer pass up your clunker to snag a flashier vehicle? Well, there's now some data showing which vehicles accumulate the most tickets. According to a study by Insurance.com, drivers of the Subaru WRX, Pontiac GTO, and Scion FR-S get a higher percentage of tickets than drivers of any other cars. At the bottom of the list, we see vehicles such as the Ford Ecosport, the Land Rover LR4, and Chevy Sportvan. They have a widget that will let you see data on your own make/model, if you're curious.

Comments

Study is quite incomplete

[damn_registrars]

It is based on driver reporting. As mentioned in the widget:

Insurance.com analyzed online quote information submitted by 557,238 drivers January 2013 to July 2014. Ticket data calculated for models with 50 or more quotes.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[StripedCow]

Indeed, the study should be extended with statistics of which *phone brand* gets the most traffic tickets.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[Skater]

I lost faith when I saw this entry:

Mercury Topaz – 28.8%

A small family sedan that hasn't been made since 1994 still hits #7 in getting the most tickets? It's the Mercury version of the Ford Tempo, which didn't make the top 20 at all. And I'd be willing to bet Ford sold a lot more Tempos than they did Topazs...

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[Mr D from 63]

Looks like they are the car models that are mostly driven by younger drivers. I would guess that explains most of it.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[msauve]

Insurance.com is a aggregator, they pull quotes from multiple insurance companies. While having a broader base for data would make things more accurate, that's different than trying to claim that there's a bias. In what direction does that bias work, and why? It's not like the data is coming from a company which caters to high risk drivers, or provides insurance of "last resort."

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[mwvdlee]

I definitely got stopped and ticketted more when I was driving my sporty looking car (2005 Toyota Celica) rather than my family car (Honda Civic Hybrid).
Even more so when I was wearing a baseball cap.
As far speedcams go, I got more tickets driving the family car.
I guess cops are just really objective and unprejudiced.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[Russ1642]

The more expensive flashy cars are generally driven by old people who can finally afford them. They still drive them as if the factory forgot to install a gas pedal.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[ShanghaiBill]

I lost faith when I saw this entry:

Mercury Topaz – 28.8%

A small family sedan that hasn't been made since 1994 still hits #7 in getting the most tickets?

You misunderstood the data. The Topaz did NOT get the 7th most tickets. It got the 7th most tickets per car. So if there are few of them left around, just a few tickets could skew the statistics.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[Immerman]

And/or they've gotten wise enough to only really open up the throttle in places where they're relatively safe. I mean with a lifetime of fast driving under your belt there's really no excuse to still be getting caught.

Re:Study is quite incomplete

[praxis]

Older people tend to be wiser too.

What's the point of doing 55 in a 35 in a city with pedestrians and the like around. One misstep and they have issues to deal with that are easy to avoid by driving 35. With lights and traffic, 55 is unlikely to really save them that much time. Not worth the risk/reward.

What's the point of doing more than 65 on a congested highway? 65 will get you there in about the same time as zoom stop zig zag zoom stop zoom stop and be more pleasant, save fuel, and not call attention from the police.

If they want to drive fast they can take their track car to the track or their sports car to the curvy mountain road. When they were younger, they've probably done 55 in the city 70+ on their highway commute. They've realized it's not really worth it; there are other outlets of "spirited driving".

I've come to realize the same as I got older. I used to own a small sports car and drive my commute as spiritedly as I could. Now, I realize my commute in a large German sedan at a leisurely pace is maybe 5 minutes longer but far more pleasant and relaxing. I travel to the alps for a fun drive, or a coastal cliff-side road, or a track.

#7 is the Mercury Topaz

[mr_mischief]

Is this for speeding or does it include tickets for parts falling off onto the roadway? A Topaz hasn't been manufactured since 1994.

Re:#7 is the Mercury Topaz

[jandrese]

Mercury Topaz sounds like Florida: The Car.

Before you even start

[timeOday]

Here is an important line from the (extremely short) article:

"Cars don't get tickets, drivers do - but those drivers like the WRX," Insurance.com Managing Editor Des Toups noted in a statement about the study.

Re:Before you even start

[jandrese]

People who prefer inexpensive but fast vehicles get a lot of tickets. I have no idea what kind of demographic this might be (young males).

Re:Before you even start

[CaptSlaq]

People who prefer inexpensive but fast vehicles get a lot of tickets. I have no idea what kind of demographic this might be (young males).

Have you priced a WRX lately? Not exactly cheap, even used.

I wouldn't buy a WRX used anyway unless I knew the owner personally. Cars like the WRX get ridden hard and put away wet FAR more often than something more sedate.

correlation != causation

[tverbeek]

Do they get tickets because they drive these vehicles, or do they drive these vehicles because they're the sort who get tickets?

Re:correlation != causation

[gstoddart]

It's like red cars. They get a higher amount of tickets, apparently.

Is it because cops target red cars? Or because people who buy red cars are more likely to drive fast?

Who knows.

In the case of the WRX, I'm not surprised ... this is a car which can break any posted speed limit in North America while still accelerating in second gear. I remember being in a friend's as he merged into traffic ... and we went from surface street speeds to passing the cars on the highway in a really short period.

I was quite impressed, since my non-turbo Impreza seemed plenty speedy to me prior to that. Though, I was just as happy with my slower version.

Re:correlation != causation

[CeasedCaring]

In the UK, red cars get most tickets because cops are playing snooker. (You have to sink a red before any other colour)

Re:I have a Supra, and it's true

[cshotton]

Yeah, being on that registered sex offender database is a bitch.

well thank god im at the bottom of the list.

[nimbius]

I cant tell you how many times ive roared down the highway at the breakneck speed of 50 miles per hour in my 1996 Chevy Sportvan (pedal to the METAL baby, thats how i roll.) Its got all the markings of a classic hot rod, from the 48 foot turning radius to that sporty 6600 pound curb weight. and man ive got one heck of a lead foot in this autobahn racer so its good to know i dodged this bullet. I bet those cops have no clue about my high performance 33 gallon gas tank and optional school bus conversion (with sweet anti-lock braking too)

Demographics

[eth1]

Cars don't get tickets, drivers do - but those drivers like the WRX,

This is the important bit. The cheaper "fun" cars are the ones that the younger, less responsible drivers can buy. I was extremely surprised when I bought a used Boxster S a few years ago (probably one of the best cars around for, umm, "enthusiastic" driving), and the liability insurance was LESS than for my 14 year old Camry.

To make things worse for the WRX, the STI version comes stock with a ridiculous wing on the trunk that just screams "stupid rice rocket driver."

Re:#6, VW Rabbit? Really?

[afidel]

No, it's a list of inexpensive sports cars and cheap cars that young drivers will be able to afford. The only one on that list that really stuck out to me was the Prius C, guess the younger demographic isn't as eco-conscious as the folks that bought the original Prius.

Re:I have a Supra, and it's true

[Thanshin]

I get messed with the cops at least every other time I take my 94 Supra out. It isn't fun. The worst is being tailgated by a county cop. Going through a town or two and they are still on your ass sucks. Not that I'm doing anything wrong, but it's still the annoyance because you know they are going to pop you for SOMETHING.

I have a follow-up question. When you go over a cross slope, with the country cop following you for no reason, for how many seconds does your Supra not touch the road?

Really? There's a connection?

[93 Escort Wagon]

I guess that explains it. I haven't been pulled over in years... but I do hear a lot of cops laughing if I happen to drive by them.

Re:Moire expensive car, richer driver, that's FINE

[James-NSC]

Actually, it's quite the opposite, right up to the economic collapse I owned my own business (infosec consultancy for government agencies & T1 infrastructure) and had picked up a Seven Series BMW (which, for their high end +$80K car loses it's value quickly so it becomes affordable to most of us just a few years later) and I found, while driving that "luxury sedan" my LEO experiences were 180 from what they are now, post economic collapse in a beat up ol 95 civic.

• - I never got any "superfluous" tickets (no proof of any documentation, insurance/registration) as, on both occasions, the officer said something along the lines of "people who own these types of cars always have it, no need to prove it sir
• - I was always called "sir" and treated with the utmost respect without exception - even when one officer found a mandible on my console which caused her to step back, put her hand on her service weapon and ask me "what is that?!" it had fallen off as it usually sits on my rear-view mirror as a talisman (ala Roland Deschain)
• - I was found passed out drunk behind the wheel, motor running and wasn't given a ticket but instead the officer called my friend, woke him up and had him come get me (that was a double down of cool cop and that he was only there because some worry wort thought I was a stalker, but instead had left a friends party when it was over & was too drunk to drive so I fell asleep in my car) - but still, in a civic, I'm sure i'd be booked for a DUI for being in the drivers seat w/ the engine running
• - I even crashed it once when I inadvertently turned off the traction control earlier in the day, no ticket, the cop just commiserated with me about what a shame it was to have smashed up such a nice car and that he wasn't "going to add any more to my already bad day"

Conversely, I was driving a VW Rabbit (old) with expired out of state plates, but still within the month they expired (both states - source & destination - allow you to drive the car in the month it expires) and I was pulled out of the car, by two officers *at gun point* (later, according to them, no one had reported anything, but the fact that I was in an old car, with expired plates was very suspicious) they even shouted asking if I had any tattoos, and I said "yes, on my leg" and they replied
"show us"
"I can't do that without dropping my pants officer!"
"drop 'em"
and there I was, pants around my ankles in the parking lot of a 7-11 late at night with two small town cops pointing their guns at me. I *know* they wouldn't have done that had I been driving a BMW 745i - drastically different experiences, all based on the make/model of the car.

Most of the cost of a used WRX

[jpellino]

involves removing the tree from the engine compartment.

Scion marketed to, trimmed for younger, less cauti

[raymorris]

The Scion is marketed to younger people and trimmed a bit hotter. The Subaru is marketed to older people and has things like heated seats and automatic climate control.

Re:Scion marketed to, trimmed for younger, less ca

[habig]

The Scion is marketed to younger people and trimmed a bit hotter. The Subaru is marketed to older people and has things like heated seats and automatic climate control.

The WRX? That's the rally car version with an amazing power/weight ratio and all wheel drive to get that power to the rubber. Not exactly the Oldsmobile demographic.

FWIW, heated seats match up well with all wheel drive, you're living in a snowy place if you buy this car, regardless of age.

Re:Scion marketed to, trimmed for younger, less ca

[mrchaotica]

No, not the WRX. The BRZ. Try to keep up (with the thread, not the car).

Who drives $2,500 used sports cars? Teen boys

[raymorris]

> TFA was bullshit when I saw the Supra on the list ranked at #4 (and the 3000 GT at #17).
> They stopped making both of those cars well over 10 years ago

So they are sporty cars that are ten years old and now worth about $2,500. What kind of driver with $2,500 to spend on a car buys something sporty? Teenage boys, maybe?

Would teenage boys who drive sports cars be more likely to get tickets that a soccer mom in a minivan?

Re:Who drives $2,500 used sports cars? Teen boys

[drinkypoo]

> TFA was bullshit when I saw the Supra on the list ranked at #4 (and the 3000 GT at #17).
> They stopped making both of those cars well over 10 years ago

So they are sporty cars that are ten years old and now worth about $2,500.

HAHAHAHA. If you buy a Supra or a 3000GT for $2,500, you'll be lucky if you can get it up to law-violating speed.

Moral of the story....

[Lumpy]

If you dont drive like a Complete Dooshbag, you dont get ticketed.

Sadly, most drivers out there dont understand that... "It's the Cars fault Bro!"

Re:#6, VW Rabbit? Really?

[afidel]

Considering the Tesla is a luxury car, both by market segment and by marketing I'm not sure where you're going with that...