It’s more than likely that you’ve never considered whether or not the car you own reflects the type of driver you are. When purchasing a new vehicle, there will be a few deciding factors which sway you towards making the purchase, but is there a deeper meaning to this? You’ll want to buy a car which suits the taste of your colour choices, personal life, such as whether you have children or not and mainly, the overall appearance of the model.
In today’s world certain drivers are stereotyped because of the cars they drive. For example, people who own an Audi or BMW are perceived to have a reasonable income and prefer some of the finer luxuries in life, as well as being lightly reckless when it comes to driving habits; but how true is this?
To explore whether or not the car you drive has an impact on the type of driving habits you display, LeaseCar UK carried out a survey to find out questions such as what cars do bad drivers own and which age group are seen as better drivers.
The survey discovered some interesting data and this can be broken down below:
What make of car do bad drivers own?
As part of the survey, each respondent was asked to select the three makes of cars which they believe bad drivers own. Topping the poll with 68% and being seen as the worst drivers are owners of BMW’s, followed by Audi in second place with 50% of the vote. It’s not good news for German car manufacturers, as Mercedes drivers received 47% of the vote, closely behind Audi drivers.
German car brands are the standout names in this poll, which goes to show if you do own either a BMW, Audi or Mercedes, your driving habits may not be very welcomed by your fellow road users.
What colour car do bad drivers own?
You may not have considered if the colour of your car reflected whether you’re perceived to be a bad driver or not, but it does in the eyes of other drivers. According to the survey, 33% of people voted that it’s black car drivers who are the worst, with respondents saying red is in second place with 23% of the vote. In third spot was owners of white cars, with 13% of respondents in agreement.
It seems rather peculiar that the colour of the car you drive can carry a stereotype of whether you’re a good driver or not, but it would appear that this is seen to be the case for a large number of drivers.
What age group are typically the worst drivers?
It may not come as a surprise for some people, but it’s younger drivers and those who have recently passed their test who are seen as the worst drivers. People who fall into the age bracket between 17-30 took top spot, with those aged 61 and over in second. People aged between 31-45 finished in third place with those in the bracket between 45-60 considered to be the best drivers.
In some cases many people believe that younger drivers are more cautious and sensible on the roads. But by looking at these results it would appear that it’s actually people who have been on the road for longer who are seen as better drivers.
As well as finding out what cars bad drivers own, LeaseCar also wanted to apply the same questions but this time to angry drivers.
What make of car do angry drivers own?
It’s the same three German brands who featured in the last section who are seen as the most angry drivers, but the order has been changed around slightly. 68% of people surveyed believe that BMW drivers are the ones with the worst temper, however Audi and Mercedes have swapped places for this question. Mercedes was given second spot with 52% of the vote and Audi in close third with 50%.
What colour cars do angry drivers own?
Again, like bad drivers it’s the same three colours which have appeared in the results for this similar question, but the order has been changed. According to the survey it’s red drivers who are seen to be the most angry when behind the wheel, with 33% of people agreeing. In a very close second with 32% of the vote was those who drive black cars and white was in third with 11%.
It has probably never crossed your mind how the car you drive can reflect how other road users view your driving habits, but from looking at the survey data, it’s quite a detailed subject. When comparing both the results from bad and angry drivers, you can see there’s a correlation between three German car brands and the colours red, white and black.
