What Your Car Says About Your Driving Style

Claims News Service, Jan. 15, 2:02 p.m. EST -- New data gathered by Quality Planning Corporation (QPC), an ISO company that validates policyholder information for auto insurers, dispels the pervasive notion that drivers of high-performance vehicles garner the most traffic tickets.

In fact, QPC's findings indicate that those behind of the wheel of gas-guzzling SUVs are the most heavily ticketed drivers, not sports car enthusiasts. Drawing upon traffic code violations from 2007 to 2008, the study found that owners of the Hummer H2/H3 racked up the most violations, with 4.63 times the number of violations compared to the overall average. An old standby, the pickup truck fell at the opposite end of the spectrum.

The San Francisco-based firm does assert that there is a strong correlation between what people drive and how they drive. There are several theories to explain why certain vehicles (and their drivers) pose more of a detriment than others. Some drivers may view car as a means to express individuality, whereas others opt for functional rides over flashy ones.

Mark S. Foster, author of A Nation on Wheels: The Automobile Culture in America Since 1945, offered his own assessment: "Hummer drivers feel like kings of the road because of their elevated driving position," he said. "As these statistics show, they are leading the pack when it comes to violating the law, which may reflect their driving attitude."

Dr. Raj Bhat, president of QPC, offered a more empathetic take: "The sense of power that Hummer drivers derive from their vehicle may be directly correlated with the number of violations they incur," he said. "Or perhaps Hummer drivers, by virtue of their driving position, are less likely to notice road hazards, signs, pedestrians, and other drivers."

Somewhat surprisingly, three different Scion models made the top ten list of vehicles with the highest percentage of violations. According to Toyota, the Scion tC's average customer is under 25 years old, and the Scion demographic skews to early 30s. Youth typically does correlate with a higher incidence of violations, and Toyota's popularity with youthful drivers may partially explain this new-found notoriety. Predictably, two of the most powerful cars on the road, both sold by Mercedes, made the list of the worst offenders.

On the "Well-Behaved Vehicle List" are those vehicles whose drivers' moving violations are well below average. Violations involving these vehicle models appear to correlate positively with driver age, occupation, and/or lifestyle. For example, Jaguar XJ and Buick Park Avenue are often driven by mature, experienced drivers who are more presumed to be more focused on comfort and driving experience than personal expression. In addition, compared to those vehicles with numerous violations, there are more minivans, SUVs, and pickups with low violations. QPC applauds soccer moms and hard-hat workers, who, day in and day out, are among the safest drivers on the road.

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