Intimidating Drivers

[MossRoad]

And how many believe this?:laughing:

Study: BMW drivers are the worst « Bankrate, Inc.

Well, I read something similar last week and had the fortune of taking a road trip across Indiana, Ohio, Penn and Maryland and back this week, so I watched..... a lot of Prius' in the right lane holding up traffic. Can't remember one passing us. Many beemers sailing past us, unsafe lane changes, tailgaiting, etc.... I had to laugh.

 

[dmccarty]

And how many believe this?:laughing:

Study: BMW drivers are the worst ?ｫ Bankrate, Inc.

Not sure if the survey is worth much, but the insurance data is interesting:

Maybe that penchant for aggressive driving has something to do with why the BMW 3 Series and BMW 7 Series hold spots on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of the top 10 models that generate collision insurance losses for car insurance companies.

Those losses are based on the frequency and size of collision insurance claims, and it's important to note, collision insurance only pays out when the driver is at fault, according to the IIHS. According to data from IIHS website, the collision insurance losses on BMW 7 Series are more than twice the average for vehicles nationwide, and BMW 3 Series two-doors are more than three times.

Read more: Study: BMW drivers are the worst ｫ Bankrate, Inc.
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The size of the claims could be because it is expensive to fix the expensive care and/OR the BMW are in really bad accidents. I would assume the claims include health care costs, so the higher claims size is a good indicator. Frequency would seem to be a key indicator if the BMWs are in accidents at a higher rate than other brands.

On the other hand, accidents is only one way to measure bad drivers, a good way for sure, but for years, Volvo drivers would scare the heck out of me. My guess is that the drivers were USUALLY older and they obviously were concerned about safety, and the combination seemed to make a hesitant yet careless driver. Never saw them in a wreck though.

I don't know if a study in one/two areas is valid. Driver personality/culture differs from region to region. People in South FLA drive much differently than people in NC. When I worked with a UK owned company, the people from the UK scared the heck out of me when they drove. They were either TOO cautious and hesitant or the were VERY aggressive. One guy had had either seven, or nine accidents, since he started driving and he was about 30. But as he liked to say, only 5/7 of the accidents were his fault. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Modern transmissions all work that way, Prius was 10 years late to that party.


HS

Again, you are incorrect.

 

[jinman]

.... a lot of Prius' in the right lane holding up traffic.

Perhaps, you meant the left lane? I NEVER get upset with people in the right lane going slowly as long as they are doing the minimum speed limit (45 for interstate highways). I also think that there are far fewer junkers on the roads these days. In the past, it was not uncommon to get behind somebody with smoke boiling out or even getting oil droplets on your windshield. Inspections and regulations have lowered the instances of this kind of hazard. Having oil slicks at stoplights seems to be almost a thing of the past.

I love the Prius concept even though I think it's unpractical for me. I also don't think that was the point of troutsqueezer's first post. Rather, it was the way he was treated as he drove the Prius and how different vehicles often had drivers with matching personalities. I think that agrees with Bird's point. Many people buy with emotion in charge instead of function. Let's face it. Most 1-ton dually pickups I see going down the road have no great load in the bed nor are they towing anything. They are being driven by a single individual, often wearing business clothes who uses that vehicle over 80% of the time as a commuter. The prettier and shinier that pickup is, the more likely that person will be an aggressive driver. At least that's my observation. They will also be the one who pulls in the parking lot at work and straddles the line because they "deserve" two spaces for their tank. I dislike this type far more than any Prius driver I ever met.

Where I used to work, one of the instructor pilots had a 1961 Ford in pristine condition. For his birthday, his wife bought him a new Prius that he nicknamed "Sparky." This was a guy with a big booming voice and a personality to match, but he loved his little Sparky car because it was technologically advanced. He gave up his beloved Ford to drive that car. Frankly, the Prius was a perfect car for him. His wife found somebody who did gold leaf and had the whole car trimmed in that for his next birthday. Clearly, it was not all about economy.

I think Toyota is pretty darn smart. I can't help but love their new commercial for the whole Prius line. They are making a convincing argument that the Prius is fun. If you can make it fun, people won't care how much they spend on them.

 

[troutsqueezer]

jinman, you're a man after my own heart... :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Perhaps, you meant the left lane?

No, I meant in the right lane. Going exactly the speed limit or a little less on the Pennsylvania turnpike, holding up traffic. And by holding up traffic, I mean holding up traffic. By not going even close to the flow of traffic, as in 10mph less than everyone else, they create a surge point in the flow because two lanes have to merge to one lane to get around them, which causes a long line of brake lights, which disrupts the flow of traffic and causes tempers to flare, which causes aggressive driving, which leads to accidents. If it was a three lane road and they were in the far right lane, it would be much less of a problem. But on a two lane high speed interstate it creates a real hazzard.

Don't get me wrong. They are driving the speed limit, which is supposed to be the maximum safe speed for the road in ideal conditions. They're doing nothing wrong. But they are a danger to themselves and to others because they are doing something that is unexpected. Kind of like trying to be nice by waving people through a 4 way stop as a courtesy when its not their turn and someone else slams into them.

And don't get me started on hyper-milers. :laughing:

 

[jinman]

No, I meant in the right lane. Going exactly the speed limit or a little less on the Pennsylvania turnpike, holding up traffic.

Well, don't hold your breath for it to happen, but that problem could be cured by getting the speed limit changed. That's what has happened in Texas with many highways going to 75 mph limit and at least one tollway going to 80 mph. If almost everyone is driving faster than the speed limit and doing it safely, then the problem is the limit. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

 

[Bird]

I have no idea what is done in this day and age, but many years ago, traffic surveys were done and speed limits usually set at what 80% of the traffic was currently doing. But then they consider all kinds of other things such as potential hazards, and of course the old 55 mph limit that was meant to reduce the amount of fuel burned.

Now I don't always like the posted speed limit, but I'm usually doing just about that limit whether other traffic likes it or not because (1) I sure don't want to pay any traffic fines and the resulting increase in insurance premiums, and (2) with my background, it'd be very embarrassing to get stopped by an officer for a violation, whether I got a ticket or not.:laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Well, don't hold your breath for it to happen, but that problem could be cured by getting the speed limit changed. That's what has happened in Texas with many highways going to 75 mph limit and at least one tollway going to 80 mph. If almost everyone is driving faster than the speed limit and doing it safely, then the problem is the limit. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

The problem is the highways out east are frequently not designed for high speed and the limit is already 65. Narrow shoulders, tight curves, concrete medians, only two lanes and way too many people really making for a bad situation to get worse. White knuckle driving a lot of the time. I'd prefer to avoid the areas, but business makes me go there. Keep me in your thoughts! :laughing:

 

[Bird]

The problem is the highways out east are frequently not designed for high speed and the limit is already 65. Narrow shoulders, tight curves, concrete medians, only two lanes and way too many people really making for a bad situation to get worse. White knuckle driving a lot of the time. I'd prefer to avoid the areas, but business makes me go there. Keep me in your thoughts! :laughing:

You know I've made many trips to West Virginia in the last 46 years, and I can tell you that West Virginia (and some other eastern states) have roads that are incredibly smoother and better maintained than our Texas roads . . . but . . . "Narrow shoulders"? How about no shoulders.:laughing: Finding a place to get out of traffic in the event of car trouble or a flat tire could be a real problem; one I thought about when pulling a 32' fifth-wheel and later driving a 40' motorhome. Fortunately, I never had a problem, but narrow, shoulderless roads are common, and in West Virginia, at least, the ditches on either side are too close to the pavement to allow you to leave the road at all.