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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.
Do they get tickets because they drive these vehicles, or do they drive these vehicles because they're the sort who get tickets?
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Yeah, being on that registered sex offender database is a bitch.
Shut up and eat your vegetables!!!
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)
Good people go to bed earlier.
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.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Mercury Topaz sounds like Florida: The Car.
I read the internet for the articles.
Indeed, the study should be extended with statistics of which *phone brand* gets the most traffic tickets.
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
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?
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...
Looks like they are the car models that are mostly driven by younger drivers. I would guess that explains most of it.
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."
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
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.
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.
No, not the WRX. The BRZ. Try to keep up (with the thread, not the car).
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
> 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?
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.
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.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
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.