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 tickets for traffic violations.
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 asserts 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. 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 vehicles 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 10 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 correlates to a higher incidence of violations, and Toyota's popularity with youthful drivers may partially explain this notoriety.
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