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12-08-2017, 11:30 AM | #1 |
Just a Gaijin
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The bad driver stereotype.
I bet everyone knows the stereotype about BMW drivers not using their indicators or Audi drivers being douches in general. You know them all right they need no further explanation.
But are those stereotypes true? I found an interesting statistic from a german website where people rate each others driving skills. And basically what this statistic shows is that is doesn't matter what brand of car you drive, because everyone just hates each other and everybody drives like crap anyways. At least that's what people think of each other. It's ranked from 1-6 with grade 6 being the worst. The average grade is 4.4 in green. The top two are unpopular or unknown brands and what I find interesting is that actually BMW/Mini is in the top 3. No surprise that Audi and Porsche is at the bottom thought. Take a look yourself. Last edited by DiCaprio; 12-08-2017 at 11:41 AM. |
12-08-2017, 12:00 PM | #2 |
Drives: 2009 Yaris 4DR Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Ontario
Posts: 99
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I daily a BMW 3 seasons of the year. I always signal. How ever I have also seen tons of other BMW drivers that don't signal and generally driving like idiots. I agree with these results though. Every make has terrible drivers. People just suck at driving.
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12-08-2017, 08:12 PM | #3 |
Drives: 2018 Yaris SE 5MT Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Kincardine, ON, Canada
Posts: 273
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Interesting.. Must be differences between native Germany and over here - whenever I drive 401 (main expressway here) the d*-bag rate has predominantly been BMWs, with a regular distribution across the other brands; maybe a slight bias towards the luxury brands. I'm sure there are lots of good BMW drivers, like Whiplash, it's just too bad their brethren flying down the right lane, not signaling, weaving in and out of traffic stand out so much more.
I also don't 401 nearly as much as I used to, so trends may have changed too.. Audi is the new d* brand? -- Adam |
12-09-2017, 02:41 PM | #4 |
Drives: '15 Yaris SE 5MT Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Arizona (USA)
Posts: 1,058
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I've found that the reckless, aggressive, hormonal personality types skew disproportionately towards larger vehicles like trucks and certain larger SUV's - which they then drive with a sense of invincibility and lack of consideration for others on the road.
In terms of luxury vehicles (& sports cars), I've found that money (& power) just make you more of what you already are. So, if you are an elitist douchebag (or some other 'negative' personality type) at your core, then it simply magnifies with money/power - and the drivers on the road around you inevitably suffer for it. |
12-14-2017, 03:04 PM | #5 |
Drives: White '07 3dr LB Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Montreal
Posts: 480
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Speaking purely hypothetically since I've never drove any performance cars such as Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Acura, etc one of the reason I came up with to explain a level of behavior that is almost only observed from those "performance" car drivers is the performance of the car itself. Driving a Yaris that has a small engine that lacks the power to accelerate swiftly at any speed and the stability to precisely maneuver at higher speeds, I find the car actually holds me back when I want to floor it because I feel like other people are always in my way. Of course for me I have a calm driving habit by nature, so it doesn't happen often, but I could easily imagine how empowering a more powerful and agile car would be for the average driver who is getting itchy from the crowded or sometimes too slow roads.
As for those who don't signal, turn on their lights, clear the snow off the car properly, etc, they just don't care or are clueless or never had anything important taken away from them to realize how fragile everything you have is. Also the myth of people driving big SUV or pickup trucks being aggressive on the road is true. It does give you a sense of owning the road and feeling like nothing can stop you unlike driving a smaller car. The worst thing is those drivers are your friend, your family, your colleagues, etc that you never though would be so pushy on the road till you hitch a ride with them. When people feel important, it's hard to convince them otherwise when you're not in a vehicle that's bigger than them. Unfortunately that's how our society allowed car markers to market their products as a superior feel and road status. My colleague drives a big RAM 1500 pickup and he loves it. I do agree it's fun to have a truck even more when you live in the country and have to drive in snow several months of the years. However he has to be passenger in the Sprinter van due to personal reasons and I'm the one driving him. I drive the big Sprinter like I drive my Yaris, or should I say I drive my Yaris like I'd drive a heavier/bulkier vehicle, always keeping a safe distance, always signaling and giving room to maneuver, no sudden maneuver, no hard braking or fast acceleration, etc, trying to be as economical as possible on fuel without being a slow driver. I get about 8-9L/100km gasoline in my Yaris, the Sprinter (twice as big engine being a 3L V6 turbo ~180hp and twice as heavy, tall and long) gets 14-16L/100km diesel. If it was my colleague driving, you'd be at over 20L/100km. I do about 300-400km in my week going to work and leisure, it cost me between 30-40$/week. He does similar mileage for commuting to work and I don't know how much more for leisure and he spends 60-80$ of gasoline in his pickup every other day. At the end of the day, it's not that people are bad drivers (bad drivers are those who hit their car, can't park or reverse, can't stay in the lane, etc) it just that they are either clueless, don't care or haven't figured out how much money they are wasting. I try to ignore them when they are ahead and sometimes give them a hard time when they're behind. The way I see the roads is everyone paid and is paying to have the roads build and maintained. We are then all on equal footing to enjoy using the roads as we see fit, and the driving laws are there as a guideline and to draw the line between safe and unsafe. However it's only you and how you behave on the road that defines how pleasant using the roads is. I won't block someone in the left lane from driving faster even if I'm already driving 140, however I expect the driver to keep a safe distance while I wait for a safe opportunity to move out of his way, no matter if I'm driving a big truck, small car or a sport car. Laws of physic don't cancel out because you paid over $50k for your car and those who aren't making sure they are visible and clearly signaling their intention only have two things waiting for them; cops or towing, and the worst is they'll never see it coming. |
12-14-2017, 06:03 PM | #6 |
Just a Gaijin
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