Safe Speed Forums

can you guess what someone is likely to do by the car they drive?

for example, most bmw drivers and mercedes drivers dont add indicators to their list of optional extras. most micra drivers never see anthing near the NSL. is driver behaviour predictable by the badge on the front of the car? or back in the case of micras

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Richie

SSAFA supporter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126025031585

No

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Not entirely, but car type certainly helps predict how someone will probably drive.

As above, all I need to do is name some cars and you can fit some characteristics to the driver:

Audi
Micra
White Van
4x4

etc.

I've driven all the above in the past, what does that make me?

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

not very popular?

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Richie

SSAFA supporter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126025031585

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I've driven 3 out of the above


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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Does this not depend whether is it clean or dirty?

Or if it has army plates...

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Andrew.

It's a factor, at the very least knowing the rough capabilities of a particular can give clues as to what things are possible for that driver to do at this moment. (It's also worth noting that the Micra speedo seems to overread quite a bit more than many cars)

A greater factor (though still quite a small factor overall) is things that the owner has done to personalise their car, things like "baby on board" stickers, or even moreso if it's one of the variants that all basically mean "chav on board", and of course obvious modifications (badly done ones in particular show a lack of care and attention, well done ones and the driver probably doesn't want them damaged)

A much more reliable method is to get a feel for how the person drives simply by watching them, their choice of positioning, how far ahead their moves are planned. This can paint a much better picture, but their choice of car and what tat they have added may fill in the blanks and help confirm or deny your assumptions.


There's always an exception though. A really old car is more likely to have been bought simply because it's cheap rather than because the owner actually wanted that type of car. Also the car may well simply be borrowed for whatever reason, so in that case all bets are off.

Best to just stick with observing their driving. Not that stops a lot of people from making assumptions even before you've had chance to do anything of note.

there are exceptions to every rule
i have however, noticed that there does seem to be a trend. the more expensive a car is, the less competant they seem to be with it. i would imagine that they simply bully their way in with cars but when it comes to trucks, they dont know what to do and dont judge the conditions correctly. this morning was a perfect example. im cruising at 56 on the inside lane approaching an onslip with a car on it. he is slightly ahead of me and going faster than me so i continue as i am, no need to react. until he slams the brakes on and i swerved into L2 due to the unpredictability of the driver. the joined and sat behind me for a few miles before shooting past and into the distance. a 58 plate SAAB. anyone with a bit of sense would have seen they were in front of me and doing 60 odd mph on the slip road. that means i am not a threat to them yet this one clearly didnt know that my truck is limited and couldnt have judged the distance if both vehicles were stationary and you gave him a measuring apparatus

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Richie

SSAFA supporter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126025031585

Yes, I must admit that some people when they buy an expensive car seem to think that it will compensate for their lack of skill/observation/need to signal. I've always said that you may need a lot of money to buy certain cars but brains and skill certainly isn't needed.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

But that doesn't mean that every one who buys an expensive car is a bad driver. Extrapolating from the particular to the general is not a valid form of reasoning.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

?????

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

Certain types do seem attracted to certain cars.

toyota priuses seem largely to be driven by those only dimly aware of whats going on around them and how to react in the rare event they're forced to make a decision requiring judgement; Ben's unaskedfor profiling says they're people with no intrest in driving, only in the car as a means of conveyance which is why they've picked a car thats engineered to be a social statement far more than a thing of passion to a driver or of practical use.

(New) Mini's tend to attract an aggressive, slap dash, can't wait, use-the-wrong-lane-cos-there's-less-cars-in-it-then-chop-back-at-the-last-minute kinda guy.

Red busses seem to attract those who never sat a driving test

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Hairyben has hit on the underlying issue. It's interest in driving not the choice of car that is the factor.

If you are not interested in driving (the "get from A to B" people) then you may chose certain cars with limited driver involvement.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

There's more to it than that; Take our old favourite, BMW's for example (sorry Claire). In many ways a victim of it's own success, being the de facto choice for anyone wanting a stylish, good handling, well built, comfortable 4 seater. Little else came close, the BMW was the choice for someone who knew good from bad. So much so BMW became a stick-on status symbol, driven by every brand of idiot from vain ditzy housewives wanting nothing more than to be seen in the "right" car to aggressive men with a point to prove.

there's no absolute rule "This car= that driver" and needless to say anyone who claims otherwise is a fool, but like I say, certain types do gravitate to certain cars.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Well the Prius is a bit of a special case, since people who buy it (for anything other than avoiding certain taxes such as the Con Charge) generally don't have sufficient critical thinking skills to understand anything beyond whatever the government and/or Daily Mail are shovelling at this moment.

On top of that it's got that big screen in the centre console telling you (in a nice simplified manner) exactly what the funky drivetrain is doing at this moment and exactly how much fuel you're consuming, so people tend to drive along glued to that trying to squeeze out the highest MPG they can manage in order to save the planet/money, kind of like how some people are glued to the speedo for fear of their licence.

i think i would like to test this theory. obviously we all have an interest in driving in this forum as apposed to an interest in cars. im curious to find out what selection appears within this group

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Richie

SSAFA supporter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126025031585

Round our way there seems to be a lot of Mitsubishi Animals and the ones that I've seen seem to be driven by people who seem to think that mirrors, indicators and courtesy are "added extras" that aren't needed but they do seem to think of them as useful vehicles for pushing others off the road and parking where ever they feel fit, especially on pavements. Maybe it's the "animal" in them that's coming out.....

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

There are many prejudges (sp) I make about other drivers. But I try to take note of the type and condition of the vehicle and look at the driver to see what they are up to.

Executive German saloons seem to be driven in a certain way. And as mentioned above, there is a certain social demographic that is drawn to chromed up Japanese pickups. Often fat, tattooed, bejewelled and shaven of head.

I drive a grandads motor and like to think I tear up any ideas that are connected with the car.

Yep you've hit the nail on the head with the Jap pick up drivers round these parts anyway Adam ....

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.