Expensive Car – Get a ticket – But not a Parking Ticket

At least that what a survey of car owners shows. Leasetrader.com asked folks who drive inexpensive, middle priced and luxury cars if they believe they can get away with traffic violations based on the type of cars they drive. As you might expect, those with expensive cars think they are singled out, and those with cheaper cars believe they “blend in”. This is true even at “red light camera” locations. Hmmmm

However let’s talk parking. Those with Mercedes and BMW’s believe they are “entitled” and are less likely to receive parking tickets. What do you think?

Actually I kinda believe it. Last night on LA radio there was a rant about Prius drivers. Seems the host thought they were “dinks” because they drove very conservatively and didn’t accelerate away. This approach causes traffic tieups and angers other drivers. Now I’m on the look out… I believe that drivers can be categorized by the type of car they drive. There is no question in my mind that I know a lot about the driver of a Ferrari and a fellow in an F 250 with gun racks in the back window. Why not a Prius? Remember, the survey isn’t what happens in real life, its what the drivers “think” happens.

Here is the info on the survey:

NEW SURVEY ON TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS SHOWS WHICH DRIVERS THINK THEY’RE ABOVE RED LIGHT CAMERAS

LeaseTrader.com Driving Survey Reveals Perception of Traffic Violations

MIAMI – (July 20, 2010) – Do people believe they can get away with a traffic violation based on what they drive? Conventional wisdom says people with nicer vehicles get all the breaks, but a new LeaseTrader.com survey says the nicer a person’s car, the more likely they believe they will get caught.

A nationwide online marketplace for car leases, LeaseTrader.com recently polled roughly 2017 drivers across America to find out if they believe they can get away with a traffic violation based on what they drive. The company polled drivers on their likelihood of getting tickets for speeding, red light infractions, parking fines, and illegal u-turn. The survey was comprised of drivers in four different sets of vehicles (examples):

Economy (Ford Focus, Chevy Cobalt)
Mid-Size (Honda Accord, Toyota Camry)
SUV/Truck (Chevy Tahoe, Ford F-150)
Luxury (BMW 7 Series, Mercedes M Class)

The survey showed that luxury drivers across the board feel they get away with less compared with the other three sets of drivers. 63.2 percent of luxury drivers feel they will get a speeding ticket if they travel 10 miles per hour faster than the limit, compared with mid-size drivers (45.8%), economy drivers (28.2%) and SUV/truck drivers (41.2%). People leasing luxury cars feel they have a false sense of entitlement when it comes to speeding.

Drivers of economy vehicles also feel they’re least likely to get a ticket running a red light (15.7%), including new red light cameras, because of a blend-in syndrome where they feel their cars don’t stand out as much as the rest. Drivers of luxury vehicles again were highest (62.1%) followed by SUV/Truck (43.6%) and mid-size (35.7%).

Luxury drivers felt differently when it came to parking fines, however, with many feeling (72.5%) they wouldn’t receive a ticket for parking illegally, possibly because of a feeling of entitlement. Mid-size drivers were next (62.8%) followed by economy drivers (54.2%). Only a few SUV/truck drivers feel they wouldn’t get a parking ticket (21.4%).