Is Your Car Getting You Tickets?

AutoSaver.com by Kimberly Ann

It was a Saturday evening, and I was driving to a friend’s home with a car full of children.  As I’m heading out of the little downtown area, I see the lights flashing behind me…and so do the kids!  I was a bit confused as to WHY I was getting pulled over until the officer asked, ‘Did you realize you were driving 35 in a 30?’ Really…Of course I did! Needless to say, after some chatter, I didn’t end up with a ticket.  However, I can’t tell you how many of my friends blamed the incident on the car I was driving.  At the time, I was driving a silver, Mercedes-Benz E Class.  Which is by no means a sports car, but could it be the reason?

Have you ever been driving, then passed by another driver…yet you’re the one pulled over for speeding?  Even though you may have been speeding, the other guy was going faster, right?  Is it possible it’s the car you’re driving?

Well, let’s take a look at Quality Planning’s Top Ten most ticketed vehicles:

1. Mercedes-BenzSL-Class Convertible
2. ToyotaCamry-Solara Coupe
3. SciontC Coupe
4. HummerH2/H3 SUV
5. Scion xB Hatchback
6. Mercedes-BenzCLS-63 AMG Sedan
7. AcuraIntegra Coupe
8. PontiacGrand Prix Sedan
9. Mercedes-BenzCLK 63 AMG Sedan
10. VolkswagenGTI Hatchback

Are any of these results surprising to you? I was surprised there are no BMWs in the Top 10!  Quality Planning conducted this study by collecting data from law enforcement firms across the United States and then ranked the cars that were pulled over the most.  Here are a couple of other interesting findings:

• Some patterns showed seven of the top ten cars were most likely driven by women.  As I woman I am going to say... this is because we are the ones doing all the carpooling :) This stat did make me smile.  
• Seven of the ten total entries were driven by individuals an average age of 40 or higher - don’t tell your teenage driver this stat
• The Toyota Camry is deemed 3.5 times more likely to be ticketed - probably because it has been the best-selling vehicle for the majority of the last 10 years.  More Camrys on the road equated to more tickets the Camry drivers will get? We’ll let you make that call
• They didn’t take vehicle color into consideration - This surprised me…so much for my Red BMW theory.

And just for the heck of it, here are the Top 10 ticketed moving violations:

1. Speeding - Obviously
2. Running stop sign/red lights
3. Unsafe lane changes
4. Reckless Driving
5. Following too closely
6. Violating Railroad Rules…??
7. Driving in the wrong directly - So glad this violation isn’t in the top 3
8. Passing in a no passing zone - I guess this isn’t the same as #3?
9. Not stopping for pedestrians or school buses - Shame! Shame!
10. DUI - I can’t believe this isn’t higher on the list

Ok, so what do we do with this information?  Do we not buy a Mercedes SL Convertible because we fear we may be ticketed more?  The odds are against this.  Actually, I’m not even sure what to do with this information, but I find it interesting.  Perhaps we all drive a little more carefully and then it doesn't matter what vehicle we happen to be driving.  The odds are probably against this as well.

I want to hear from you!  Have you had any questionable driving offenses that have left you wondering…is it my car’s fault?

www.AutoSaver.com

references:

1 Safe Driver http://blog.1safedriver.com/top-10-most-ticketed-cars/

B Line Traffic School http://www.blinetrafficschools.com/top-10-moving-traffic-violations-and-how-to-avoid-them/