Which Cars Get the Most Traffic Tickets? 261
An anonymous reader writes: Have you ever been pulled over for a traffic stop and wondered if your sporty car was what caught the officer's attention? Ever had an officer pass up your clunker to snag a flashier vehicle? Well, there's now some data showing which vehicles accumulate the most tickets. According to a study by Insurance.com, drivers of the Subaru WRX, Pontiac GTO, and Scion FR-S get a higher percentage of tickets than drivers of any other cars. At the bottom of the list, we see vehicles such as the Ford Ecosport, the Land Rover LR4, and Chevy Sportvan. They have a widget that will let you see data on your own make/model, if you're curious.
Study is quite incomplete (Score:2)
Insurance.com analyzed online quote information submitted by 557,238 drivers January 2013 to July 2014. Ticket data calculated for models with 50 or more quotes.
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:5, Funny)
Indeed, the study should be extended with statistics of which *phone brand* gets the most traffic tickets.
Re: (Score:2)
It's unlikely there's any significant "self reporting bias," as you seem to be implying, which would be caused by drivers being deceptive about the vehicles they're actively seeking insurance quotes on.
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
In what direction does that bias work, and why?
It works against younger drivers, who are more likely to still have the points on their record. Once the accidents drop off your record, you don't tell the insurance companies about them, for fear that they will move you to a higher-risk group. Deny, deny, deny!
Re: (Score:2)
Furthermore, you want to limit the tickets considered to recent ones - older ones are more likely to have been received while driving a car which is no longer being driven by the same driver. The average time of ownership for a car in
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:5, Interesting)
Mercury Topaz – 28.8%
A small family sedan that hasn't been made since 1994 still hits #7 in getting the most tickets? It's the Mercury version of the Ford Tempo, which didn't make the top 20 at all. And I'd be willing to bet Ford sold a lot more Tempos than they did Topazs...
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:5, Informative)
I lost faith when I saw this entry:
Mercury Topaz – 28.8%
A small family sedan that hasn't been made since 1994 still hits #7 in getting the most tickets?
You misunderstood the data. The Topaz did NOT get the 7th most tickets. It got the 7th most tickets per car. So if there are few of them left around, just a few tickets could skew the statistics.
Re: (Score:2)
A small family sedan that hasn't been made since 1994 still hits #7 in getting the most tickets? It's the Mercury version of the Ford Tempo, which didn't make the top 20 at all. And I'd be willing to bet Ford sold a lot more Tempos than they did Topazs...
The data just says that of all Mercury Topaz's included in the report (and at least 50 must have been used to generate a quote for the model to appear at all), 28.8% have been ticketed at least once. The list is then sorted by the percentage. You can see the obvious flaws.
First, if a single Corvette received 100 tickets last year, it still just counts as "ticketed once". Second, if 10,000 Tempo's were given quotes, while only 50 Topaz's were, every Topaz influences the results 200 times as much as a Temp
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The Camaro is frequently driven by older drivers looking for a cheap Corvette substitute (some of the same engines have been there off and on.) Wrangler is slow. Focus is only fun at low speeds. Civic, same.
Re: (Score:3)
I definitely got stopped and ticketted more when I was driving my sporty looking car (2005 Toyota Celica) rather than my family car (Honda Civic Hybrid).
Even more so when I was wearing a baseball cap.
As far speedcams go, I got more tickets driving the family car.
I guess cops are just really objective and unprejudiced.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The bad part about the cameras is they don't take into account conditions. I got speed camera'd when I escaped from a dangerous situation with a couple of larger SUVs coming down off a mountain road.
I've been pulled over by the police three times in the past 10 years. 57mph in a 55mph zone, got a warning ticket. Passing a county sheriff on a double yellow, verbal warning. 10mph over in front of a traffic control officer (left a light and didn't see him behind me, got me on the curve), warning. In all three,
Re: (Score:2)
Honestly, I wonder the same thing.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
The more expensive flashy cars are generally driven by old people who can finally afford them. They still drive them as if the factory forgot to install a gas pedal.
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:4, Insightful)
And/or they've gotten wise enough to only really open up the throttle in places where they're relatively safe. I mean with a lifetime of fast driving under your belt there's really no excuse to still be getting caught.
Re:Study is quite incomplete (Score:4, Insightful)
Older people tend to be wiser too.
What's the point of doing 55 in a 35 in a city with pedestrians and the like around. One misstep and they have issues to deal with that are easy to avoid by driving 35. With lights and traffic, 55 is unlikely to really save them that much time. Not worth the risk/reward.
What's the point of doing more than 65 on a congested highway? 65 will get you there in about the same time as zoom stop zig zag zoom stop zoom stop and be more pleasant, save fuel, and not call attention from the police.
If they want to drive fast they can take their track car to the track or their sports car to the curvy mountain road. When they were younger, they've probably done 55 in the city 70+ on their highway commute. They've realized it's not really worth it; there are other outlets of "spirited driving".
I've come to realize the same as I got older. I used to own a small sports car and drive my commute as spiritedly as I could. Now, I realize my commute in a large German sedan at a leisurely pace is maybe 5 minutes longer but far more pleasant and relaxing. I travel to the alps for a fun drive, or a coastal cliff-side road, or a track.
Scion marketed to, trimmed for younger, less cauti (Score:3)
The Scion is marketed to younger people and trimmed a bit hotter. The Subaru is marketed to older people and has things like heated seats and automatic climate control.
Re:Scion marketed to, trimmed for younger, less ca (Score:5, Informative)
The Scion is marketed to younger people and trimmed a bit hotter. The Subaru is marketed to older people and has things like heated seats and automatic climate control.
The WRX? That's the rally car version with an amazing power/weight ratio and all wheel drive to get that power to the rubber. Not exactly the Oldsmobile demographic.
FWIW, heated seats match up well with all wheel drive, you're living in a snowy place if you buy this car, regardless of age.
Re:Scion marketed to, trimmed for younger, less ca (Score:4, Informative)
No, not the WRX. The BRZ. Try to keep up (with the thread, not the car).
Re: (Score:2)
The real question if why is the FR-S ranked 3rd high but the BRZ ranked 125?
The FR-S outsells the BRZ 3:1 in the states... if for no other reason than "less opportunity", I could see this as being a contributing factor. Seems like there's some deal between Subaru and Toyota on the production of these too, but I can't find anything solid on it.
#7 is the Mercury Topaz (Score:3)
Is this for speeding or does it include tickets for parts falling off onto the roadway? A Topaz hasn't been manufactured since 1994.
Re:#7 is the Mercury Topaz (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
It's because the one guy who still drives one has gotten a ticket, and did 50 online quotes for auto insurance.
Re: (Score:2)
It's because the one guy who still drives one has got a lot of tickets, and had to get 50 online quotes for auto insurance to find a company that would insure him.
FIFY.
Before you even start (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
People who prefer inexpensive but fast vehicles get a lot of tickets. I have no idea what kind of demographic this might be (young males).
Have you priced a WRX lately? Not exactly cheap, even used.
Most of the cost of a used WRX (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
People who prefer inexpensive but fast vehicles get a lot of tickets. I have no idea what kind of demographic this might be (young males).
Have you priced a WRX lately? Not exactly cheap, even used.
I wouldn't buy a WRX used anyway unless I knew the owner personally. Cars like the WRX get ridden hard and put away wet FAR more often than something more sedate.
Re: (Score:2)
1) People that prefer inexpensive, fast cars drive poorly and as a result get more tickets.
2) But cops are not smart enough to realize that inexpensive, fast cars are prime targets.
By definition, if you are correct, than smart cops should begin to profile and pay extra attention to those cars, which means that YES, the cops ARE targeting you for the car your drive.
There are only three real possibilities: 1) even distribution, 2) uneven distribution caused by profilin
Re: (Score:2)
correlation != causation (Score:5, Insightful)
Do they get tickets because they drive these vehicles, or do they drive these vehicles because they're the sort who get tickets?
Re: (Score:3)
It's like red cars. They get a higher amount of tickets, apparently.
Is it because cops target red cars? Or because people who buy red cars are more likely to drive fast?
Who knows.
In the case of the WRX, I'm not surprised ... this is a car which can break any posted speed limit in North America while still accelerating in second gear. I remember being in a friend's as he merged into traffic ... and we went from surface street speeds to passing the cars on the highway in a really short period.
I was quite i
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I drive a 1988 tan toyota pickup. I've received a single speeding ticket in this truck -- 1989 in Santa Maria. Cop was pissed because he pegged me going 85 and he KNEW I was going faster but suspected I slowed down because I saw him. I actually was going about 95 (trying to race a friend back to Cal Poly SLO who had a major exam that morning) -- and slowed down because I entered Santa Maria (where there was a very high cop to car ratio). I just didn't slow down fast enough.
Anyway, I typically drive "as
Re: (Score:2)
It's like red cars. They get a higher amount of tickets, apparently.
Red cars don't get more tickets. It's a myth. [snopes.com] I'm still not sure how these myths of conventional wisdom start, but this one just isn't true.
Re: (Score:2)
It is actually obvious. The red ones go faster, thus they get more tickets.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:correlation != causation (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Young men who like to drive too fast (Score:2)
Do they get tickets because they drive these vehicles, or do they drive these vehicles because they're the sort who get tickets?
Almost certainly the later. Think about it. These are relatively inexpensive, fast cars driven mostly by young men who like to go fast. Put the same guy in a Corvette and they will still get tickets because they drive like asshats and don't know when to take their foot off the accelerator.
WRX (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
57 and I ride a sport bike.
"Well, be a little careful around here in the future."
"Yes sir, thanks!"
I think they're just happy you don't run :D
[John]
Re: (Score:2)
How is it a BS charge if they find drugs in your car?
Because all drug charges are BS, except perhaps for driving under the influence.
Re: (Score:2)
Haha. For almost 90 years motor vehicles have been excluded from the requirement to have a search warrant. If you 'stand your ground' they will just impound your vehicle and then search it.
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
The Chevy Sportvan is a homage to the Family Truckster, right down to the 8 headlights.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/... [cardomain.com]
I SPEET On Your Steenking Sportvan! (Score:2)
My mother-in-law's Mercury Topaz is surely a greater danger! How she gets away with it I'll never know.
What a crappy misuse of statistics. Heh, hardly even statistics. How about balancing those "ticketed" numbers against the number of each model on the road? I don't see a single Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, not even Corvettes! And they don't get tickets? Come on!
Re: (Score:2)
There was a car customization shop around me that had a souped up minivan that they would drag race people with sports cars (and smoke them). Then hand out business cards.
You know, you could actually put quite a bit of power in a minivan with all that space... Heck, you could easily fit a gas turbine in there.
Re: (Score:2)
LOL ... so, "bandwidth of a minivan full of magtape" then?
Why am I picturing Recaro baby seats, five point harnesses all around, a NOS system, and an express ticket to the grocery store/soccer match?
Because, really, the mommy buses often seem to be some of the craziest drivers on the road.
I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been cut off by someone with one of those "Baby on Board" signs ... I don't know if they think that gives them license to speed, or if they're just assholes. But don't ex
Re:minivan (Score:2)
Ok, I found the link: http://www.turbovan.net/van.html [turbovan.net]
Dude has time slips showing 12.65 quarter mile.
Re: (Score:2)
I was watching the US version of Top Gear and the fifth episode of the new season featured high performance people haulers, Rutledge picked an 1,100+ HP Honda Odyssey =)
Demographics (Score:3)
Cars don't get tickets, drivers do - but those drivers like the WRX,
This is the important bit. The cheaper "fun" cars are the ones that the younger, less responsible drivers can buy. I was extremely surprised when I bought a used Boxster S a few years ago (probably one of the best cars around for, umm, "enthusiastic" driving), and the liability insurance was LESS than for my 14 year old Camry.
To make things worse for the WRX, the STI version comes stock with a ridiculous wing on the trunk that just screams "stupid rice rocket driver."
Re: (Score:2)
Large Vehicles (Score:2)
It might just be that they have a lower top speed, but all the vehicles on the bottom of the list are physically quite large. I'd conjecture that they seem proportionately slower to the eyes of enforcement, since their size messes with your sense of scale.
In other not suprising news (Score:2)
drivers of the Subaru WRX, Pontiac GTO, and Scion FR-S get a higher percentage of tickets than drivers of any other cars.
Wow. Cars most commonly driven by young men who like to go fast get the most tickets. Who would have guessed?
Really? There's a connection? (Score:3)
I guess that explains it. I haven't been pulled over in years... but I do hear a lot of cops laughing if I happen to drive by them.
where is my Honda CR-V? (Score:2)
i don't see it anywhere on the list
Prius (Score:2)
I can't believe the prius is #20. We've got those all over here... and if someone passes me doing 90 on the interstate it's usually a prius. Maybe the irony makes them stand out.
Dear person with cookie 34a57cd234e52 (Score:2)
Woo Hoo! Porsche! (Score:2)
911 (couldn't actually find my model) ranks 447. Eat my dust baby!
or kinds of people that get lots of tickets? (Score:2)
ok, I'm going OT. These days you better pay that ticket, show up for court, or you will be issued a FTA (failure to appear) and you will be issued a bench warrent. Result is next time you are pulled over, it is mandatory arrest, as dispatch radios back to officer the 10-28/10-29 info.
But it wasn't like that back in the days. There were people that accumulate tickets which they never took care of i.e. as portrayed in "American Graffiti" of John Milner's "CS files." A relative of mine who died decades ago b
Clickbait (Score:2)
The headline is clickbait, and the article is native advertising.
Moral of the story.... (Score:3)
If you dont drive like a Complete Dooshbag, you dont get ticketed.
Sadly, most drivers out there dont understand that... "It's the Cars fault Bro!"
Toyota Preius C is #20??? (Score:2)
Wow, I never would have guessed that car to be at #20 on this list.
I tend to do (Score:2)
So I can be found flying down RI-4, or I-95 in a variety of vehicles.
Most recently I had a Subaru Impreza - speedy little beast. I was on I-95N in the left hand lane until I came upon an asshole doing 55MPH there. So I dropped to the right, accelerated. I see headlights behind me while I'm doing 85MPH. It's a State Trooper - he just cuts around me. Didn't even tu
Re:I have a Supra, and it's true (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, being on that registered sex offender database is a bitch.
Re:I have a Supra, and it's true (Score:4, Funny)
I get messed with the cops at least every other time I take my 94 Supra out. It isn't fun. The worst is being tailgated by a county cop. Going through a town or two and they are still on your ass sucks. Not that I'm doing anything wrong, but it's still the annoyance because you know they are going to pop you for SOMETHING.
I have a follow-up question. When you go over a cross slope, with the country cop following you for no reason, for how many seconds does your Supra not touch the road?
Re: (Score:2)
I get messed with the cops at least every other time I take my 94 Supra out. It isn't fun. The worst is being tailgated by a county cop. Going through a town or two and they are still on your ass sucks. Not that I'm doing anything wrong, but it's still the annoyance because you know they are going to pop you for SOMETHING.
I knew that whole "cars don't get tickets, drivers do" line from TFA was bullshit when I saw the Supra on the list ranked at #4 (and the 3000 GT at #17).
They stopped making both of those cars well over 10 years ago, but we're supposed to believe certain cars aren't targeted when damn near every driver exceeds the speed limit on a daily basis? Riiiight.
Who drives $2,500 used sports cars? Teen boys (Score:5, Insightful)
> TFA was bullshit when I saw the Supra on the list ranked at #4 (and the 3000 GT at #17).
> They stopped making both of those cars well over 10 years ago
So they are sporty cars that are ten years old and now worth about $2,500. What kind of driver with $2,500 to spend on a car buys something sporty? Teenage boys, maybe?
Would teenage boys who drive sports cars be more likely to get tickets that a soccer mom in a minivan?
Re: (Score:3)
> TFA was bullshit when I saw the Supra on the list ranked at #4 (and the 3000 GT at #17).
> They stopped making both of those cars well over 10 years ago
So they are sporty cars that are ten years old and now worth about $2,500.
HAHAHAHA. If you buy a Supra or a 3000GT for $2,500, you'll be lucky if you can get it up to law-violating speed.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:#6, VW Rabbit? Really? (Score:5, Insightful)
No, it's a list of inexpensive sports cars and cheap cars that young drivers will be able to afford. The only one on that list that really stuck out to me was the Prius C, guess the younger demographic isn't as eco-conscious as the folks that bought the original Prius.
Re: (Score:2)
I am a bit taken aback by the inclusion of the FJ Cruiser. I see a few younger drivers with them, but they aren't exactly cheap.
Knowing most of the people that drive a Mercury Topaz, I am not surprised by that. I wish I could snag a Supra as they are a bit difficult to get in this day and age.
Re: (Score:2)
The WRX is not an inexpensive car...
At least it is good to see people driving the WRX to its potential ;)
Re: (Score:2)
The WRX is inexpensive as far as sports cars go, especially if you go with the base rather than STI model.
Re: (Score:3)
Considering the Tesla is a luxury car, both by market segment and by marketing I'm not sure where you're going with that...
Re: (Score:2)
Well the most popular color for the Prius C. is that glaring orange color.
To me, the data doesn't show what cars attract tickets or prove any bias. To do that you'd have to assume all drivers commit traffic violations at the same rate independent of car model. It probably better represents what cars people who like to speed prefer to drive, and possibly so bias on what car models are more popular in areas that have higher enforcement.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
As a resident of the deep south, I feel the need to inform you that hicks don't actually have a problem with Prius drivers. They're much more likely to offend busy urban people who are in a hurry.
Re: (Score:2)
My first thought was that Prius drivers get pulled over for more or less political reasons, because the car is some kind of symbol for left-leaning environmentalism which you would mostly expect runs counter to the expected cop mindset of a right-wing anti-environmentalism.
Somewhere else in this topic there was a reply that this data represented self-reporting, so maybe there's some kind of higher rate of self-reporting by Prius drivers. Which itself could be be the result of the driver's perception of pol
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It is [onlineathens.com] in Georgia! [ga.gov]
Re: (Score:2)
Every Prius I see is driven by some turd that is doing 90 in the HOV lane.
Re: (Score:2)
My first thought was that Prius drivers get pulled over for more or less political reasons, because the car is some kind of symbol for left-leaning environmentalism which you would mostly expect runs counter to the expected cop mindset of a right-wing anti-environmentalism.
Or it could be because they're a disproportionate fraction of the cars on the road in California even if most people who drive them are pokey, when you multiply the numbers by the rate, you still get into the top 20. I've seen Toyota lots in LA that look like they're the storage lot at the end of the Prius assembly line-- hundreds of them as far as you can see. On the road, it's pretty rare to not be able to see at least one in your field of view. The C probably made it onto the list because it's more li
Re: (Score:2)
And somehow the Dodge Viper made it in at #522 (5th from the bottom). What strange results...
Re: (Score:2)
Vipers are both so expensive and so terrible as daily-drivers that almost everybody rich enough to have one a) can afford to pay admission to drive it at a track, and b) can afford to also own a more comfortable car to drive everywhere else.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Vipers are straight line cars. They utterly suck in corners. so on public roads you cant go fast unless it's the desert or open Freeway.
Re: (Score:2)
The trouble is that "infractions committed without a ticket being issued" is impossible to measure, since (by definition) issuing tickets is how you're supposed to measure infractions.
Of course, cellphone/GPS tracking and/or ITS [wikipedia.org] could make un-ticketed infractions measurable, but entities (e.g. Progressive Insurance) are only now just starting to do so.
Re: (Score:2)
The Dodge Dart is there because they came out with a new one. It's basically the replacement for the Neon (i.e., a compact sedan), I think.
Re:Moire expensive car, richer driver, that's FINE (Score:5, Interesting)
Conversely, I was driving a VW Rabbit (old) with expired out of state plates, but still within the month they expired (both states - source & destination - allow you to drive the car in the month it expires) and I was pulled out of the car, by two officers *at gun point* (later, according to them, no one had reported anything, but the fact that I was in an old car, with expired plates was very suspicious) they even shouted asking if I had any tattoos, and I said "yes, on my leg" and they replied
"show us"
"I can't do that without dropping my pants officer!"
"drop 'em"
and there I was, pants around my ankles in the parking lot of a 7-11 late at night with two small town cops pointing their guns at me. I *know* they wouldn't have done that had I been driving a BMW 745i - drastically different experiences, all based on the make/model of the car.
Re: (Score:2)
All based on their assumptions about your income and your ability to hire a lawyer.
Re: (Score:2)
I *know* they wouldn't have done that had I been driving a BMW 745i - drastically different experiences, all based on the make/model of the car.
And this is why I shifted to driving top-of-the-line Kraut Kans. Even an old one still commands respect. I can fly by at 80 in my 300SD, nothing. But go by at 70 in the Astro and they squint hard to see how Mexican you are. I'm working on prepping an A8 now, which should make me even more invisible. Paint's much better than my 300SD.
Re: (Score:2)
There's nothing wrong with the data. This data does say something about the driver. The BRZ costs more than the FRS, which means FRS drivers tend to be younger and dumber and get more tickets.