The most, and least, ticketed cars on the road
You’ve heard cars referred to as “ticket magnets,” right?
Like, that red hot Corvette the guy with the thinning hair and lame Bluetooth earpiece drives. Boom: ticket magnet. Or, the Mercedes convertible cops just must get semi-aroused in pulling over. Bam: have you license and registration ready.
But for all these stereotypes, that’s what they’ve largely been. Stereotypes. Thanks to a new auto insurance study, though, we know now what vehicles are indeed ticket magnets. And the list is a bit more modest than you’d think.
According to Quality Planning, a Verisk Analytics research firm, the most ticketed cars over the past year weren’t just the Benzes and Hummers on the road, but the Pontiacs, Toyotas and Volkswagens, as well.
And, before we get to the top/bottom 10s, the least ticketed cars on the road showed a major slant towards domestic auto companies. Of the ten least ticketed cars of the past year, 70 per cent come from North American car makers.
The top and bottom 10, by Verisk’s numbers:
*Figures in parentheses represent the percentage of violations more or less than those levied upon the average motorist, using a 100,000 mile (161,000 km) sample size.
Most Ticketed Least Ticketed
1. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (+404%) 1. Buick Rainier (-23%)
2. Toyota Camry-Solara (+349%) 2. Mazda Tribute (-26%)
3. Scion TC (+343%) 3. Chevrolet C/K Pickup (-26%)
4. Hummer H2/H3 (+292%) 4. Kia Spectra (-27%)
5. Scion X8 (+270%) 5. Buick Lacrosse (-32%)
6. Mercedes-Benz CLS-63 AMG (+264%) 6. Saturn Aura Hybrid (-37%)
7. Acura Integra (+185%) 7. Oldsmobile Silhouette (-37%)
8. Pontiac Grand Prix (+182%) 8. Chevrolet Uplander (-38%)
9. Mercedes-Benz CLK-63 AMG (+179%) 9. Hyundai Tucson (-38%)
10. Volkswagen GTI (+178%) 10. Pontiac Vibe (-39%)
A few observations from the above findings …
-Seems like we get wiser, or more responsible on the road, as we age. Of the most ticketed cars last year, the average driver of those vehicles was 42-years-old, according to Verisk. The least ticketed drivers? Average age: 47.
-Maybe there’s a police bias towards import cars. While seven of the ten least ticketed cars were domestic, only two of the most ticketed cars came from a North American manufacturer. That means 80 per cent of the most ticketed cars on our continent are from overseas auto makers.
Does your car fall on either list? When you see cars pulled over – or not pulled over – do these Verisk rundowns reflect what you see on the road today?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Steve | Oct 23, 2021 8:59:19 PM
Is there a gender specific breakdown of tickets per vehicle? My sisters & female friends often comment how a few tears manages to save them a fortune in tickets and increased insurance premiums. "Oddly enough" I have yet to hear a similar comment from guys. Must just be coincidence, because the predominantly male officers would 'never' let an attractive female driver influence their decision to write a ticket.
Posted by: Steve F | Oct 23, 2021 10:08:17 PM
This is another weak non influential study on people who drive the same particiular vehicle for a period of 161000 kms. Or is it a group of the same vehicles with the kms. combined to make a total of 161000 kms. ? This hardly explains that a person who buys a Kia Spectra should feel invisable from a metermaid. A vehicle type or make does not come up in the morning breifing before a cop goes on patrol i'm sure, unless a certain type is seen leaving a crime.
I think the person who drives the vehicle is what brings attention to that vehicle. It is highly likely that a Mercedes SL will speed rather than a Kia Spectra. Which one would you rather drive 90 kmph. on the 401 ? The Mercedes wouldn't let you know how fast you were going.
Posted by: Dan Crawford | Oct 26, 2021 1:40:13 PM
I've noticed when driving that people who drive certain makes of vehicles are poor drivers. I'm most often cut off and passed by people going way over the speed limit etc, by people driving Toyota's, Honda's and other import cars. I swear some people buy a fuel efficient vehicle so they can hammer down and it doesn't effect their pocket book as much.
Posted by: dan | Nov 6, 2021 12:51:59 AM
ticket left lane runners,and the a-holes with thier high beams on