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Signs of A Bad Driver
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Are You One of Them?
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| Surely you've seen them on the road: They're swerving in and
out of lanes, ignoring rules of the road, and engaging in other rude — and
dangerous — behavior. Or maybe you are that bad driver?
A focus group of 30 drivers from Boston who have collectively been
involved in 84 accidents over the past three years, and have received 49
speeding tickets, 39 moving violations, and 92 parking tickets, indicates
there are some common characteristics to bad drivers. Take a look at these
questions to find out if you fit the profile.
1. When you reach a stop sign and no one is coming from another direction,
do you roll through instead of stopping?
An overwhelming majority (87 percent) of the bad drivers say they should
be able to speed, go through stop signs, and break other driving rules and
regulations as long as no one gets hurt.
2. Do you talk on the cell phone while driving instead of pulling off and
stopping to talk?
A total of 77 percent of bad drivers say they do this either frequently or
occasionally. Only 13 percent say they never talk on a cell phone while
driving.
3. Do you take your coffee and muffin or other food and drink on the road
with you, driving with one hand while using the other to eat?
Sixty percent of those in the study say they either frequently or
occasionally eat while they're driving. In fact, several of the
participants say they have spilled drinks and attempted to clean up the
spill while driving.
4. If you're out shopping in a crowded area and are looking for a parking
space, do you get so focused on your search that you lose sight of the
cars and pedestrians around you?
More than half of the participants say that when they're trying to find a
parking space in a crowded area, they can become so focused that they
become oblivious to other drivers and pedestrians and often get into
accidents, whether on the street or in a parking lot.
5. Do you hate driving behind SUVs or other large vehicles that obstruct
your view?
More than 60 percent of bad drivers say they are frustrated driving behind
SUVs because they are wide and tall and block their vision. In fact, more
than 70 percent believe SUVs should be required to drive in a separate
lane on the highway.
6. Does your driving change when you go into areas with higher police
presence?
Nearly all of the participants strongly agree with the statement that they
drive more carefully when they know police are in the area. In addition,
most participants say they check their rearview mirrors regularly for
police cars.
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7. Does listening to music while you drive sometimes
leave you oblivious to all but the music?
Ninety-three percent of participants say they listen to the radio
while driving, and 73 percent of them listen to music. Most say
listening to the radio has often caused them to become distracted and
in some cases they say listening to loud music has caused them to be
more aggressive on the highway.
8. Do you find yourself in confrontations on the road, either through
verbal arguments or hand gestures, because of either your own driving
habits or the habits of others?
While 87 percent of the bad drivers consider themselves at least
somewhat courteous drivers if not very courteous, at least half also
admit to making obscene or rude gestures or comments to other drivers,
particularly those who cut in front of them on the highway.
Participants also say, however, that they appreciate a thank-you
gesture for letting another driver into their lane, and often give a
wave of thanks themselves when they cut into traffic.
9. Does your "work hard, play hard" lifestyle leave you sleepy behind
the wheel at times?
Fifty percent of those in the study say they have almost fallen asleep
while driving and an additional 10 percent say they have wanted to
shut their eyes while driving and almost did. The study found that
most participants lead a busy lifestyle that sometimes leaves them
sleep-deprived.
10. When you're driving with passengers, do you turn around to talk,
taking your eyes and mind off the road? |
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Nearly all group members acknowledged that they
are distracted when they have passengers in their vehicles, and
most say during conversations they'll turn their heads and stop
paying attention to the road. This held true especially for
drivers with small children.
If your answers agree with the answers from the focus group, it's
likely you tend to be a more aggressive driver than average. Like
members of the study, you may also pay more for your auto
insurance. Within the study group, 53 percent pay a surcharge on
their auto insurance because of their driving records.
These bad drivers have other characteristics that you may
recognize in your own life. Most say they lead very stressful
lives without enough time to accomplish all their activities in a
day. They all consider themselves either somewhat or very outgoing
and all have a fair to great amount of confidence in the way they
behave. And 90 percent say they've told a "little white lie" to
protect someone's feelings. |
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The group was broken down into three age groups,
from 18 to 25 years old, 26 to 45 years old, and 46 to 59 years
old. There were 19 men and 11 women in the study, commissioned by
RightFind Technology, a company developing new products to help
insurers make better decisions on auto insurance premium rates for
specific drivers.
While the study is based on a small group and should be considered
a hypotheses rather than a conclusion, "our study identified
several personality attributes that seem clearly linked to
accident involvement,” says Donald Bashline, one of the owners of
RightFind. "Witnessing these focus groups was a revelation."
Courtesy of Insure.com
Please note that this description/explanation is intended only as
a guideline. |
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