We have long ragged on BMW drivers for their terrible parking skills and general assholery, and Toyota Prius drivers for their holier-than-thou smugness. Now, it has been confirmed — through the miraculous power of science — that their owners are, in fact, terrible and inconsiderate motorists.
Our old pal Benjamin Preston reports in the New York Times on a study done by the Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California Berkeley which links poor driving habits and wealth. Basically, rich people are more likely to be jerks behind the wheel.
The researchers examined how motorists in California behave when approaching intersections with pedestrians, where they are required to stop, as well as how well they take turns at four-way stop intersections.
What they found is that people in luxury cars, specifically BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, were much more likely to flout traffic laws and go when it's not their turn at intersections. Said researcher Paul K. Piff:
Mr. Piff said about eight of every 10 cars “did the right thing.”
“But you see this huge boost in a driver’s likelihood to commit infractions in more expensive cars,” he said. “In our crosswalk study, none of the cars in the beater-car category drove through the crosswalk. They always stopped for pedestrians.”
[...] “One of the most significant trends was that fancy cars were less likely to stop,” said Mr. Piff, adding, “BMW drivers were the worst.”
And in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the status-symbol Prius was marked down as a luxury vehicle, researchers found their drivers to have a higher tendency to commit traffic infractions than most.
Listen, it makes sense when you think about it. The Rich are busy. They have places to be, things to accomplish, deals to execute, unlike The Poors, who are content to drive slowly and courteously as they waste their lives suckling from the teat of the government.
So the next time a BMW driver parks across three handicapped spaces, or a Prius driver blows ahead of you at an intersection when it was your turn to go, don't get angry. That would be tantamount to class warfare. Instead, be inspired by their success and think of ways you too can aspire to their level of greatness.