Drivers of fast cars are worst speeders

[StlouisX50]

Drivers of fast cars are worst speeders

Published on 11/09/2006

By Pam McClounie

NEW research has revealed that owners of fast cars with big engines are more likely to have a conviction for speeding.

Insurance expert Admiral looked at data from more than one million motorists and found that those who drive a car with an engine size larger than 2500cc are 69 per cent more likely to have a speeding conviction than those who drive a car below 1000cc.

Admiral also looked at which models of car are the most likely to be caught speeding and it’s bad news for BMW owners.

Of the top ten makes and models, four are BMWs, with the X3 in second place, X5 in fifth place, 330 in seventh place and the Z4 in eighth place. But that is not the make of car that has the worst record for speeding, that honour belongs to the Volvo XC90.

According to Admiral’s data, 44 per cent of drivers of them have been caught speeding. This compares with around 25 per cent of motorists as a whole.

Admiral managing director, Sharon Clarke, said: “It’s clear from our research that many people who drive cars with powerful engines like to drive them fast. Most of the cars in the top ten cars for speeding are big, powerful and expensive.

“However the number one car, head and shoulders above the others is a Volvo. Maybe the image of Volvo drivers as careful and safety conscious is outdated.

“We would remind all motorists though that speeding not only costs lives, it can prove costly on your car insurance too.”

PMcClounie@cngroup.co.uk

View this story and the latest newspaper in full digital reproduction, just like the printed copy at www.newsandstar.co.uk/digitalcopy

[WRC]

that volvo suv is probably the safest in the world, i've seen it tossed 3 times (was on the news) sideways and very minimal frame damaged occur, maybe owners think it's safe to speed in those vehicles but not safe for others around them who drive small cars

[SmaartAasSaabr]

No **** Sherlock

Note the engine displacements they talk about... big powerful cars as 2 500 cc and up and normal cars as "under 1 000 cc".

So the powerful cars are 2.5 litre plus and the normal cars are 1.0 litre and below. The smallest displacement engine in a production car sold in the US and Canada in the past 30 years was the 1.0 litre 55hp "Hamster Power" Geo Metro/Pontiac Firefly and friends. The cars cited in the study are UK typical cars that are even slower than these. No wonder they don't get too many tickets, they CAN'T exceed the PSL!

[ftothe3]

1L engine... thats just sad

[bauzer71487]

That was my thinking exactly, this is a stupid study. I could understand them trying to do one by cylinders in a car.

Saying

4 Cylinder drivers drive - 20% of drivers drive over PSL
6 cyl - 40% drive over PSL
8 cyl - 43% drive over PSL

^^ Made up ^^

But they won't dare go there - because uhh - DUH! - the cars all have ability to speed and it won't matter because it'll come out to be that it doesn't have any effect, if your car can exceed the PSL - than chances are you will. Stupid insurance researches.

[SmaartAasSaabr]

I'd say the chances of exceeding the PSL increase with a car's higher Vmax generally speaking. A Ferrari at 100 mi/h is pretty well planted and boring, so it's likely that the Ferrari will spend more time at 100 mi/h than say a Honda Civic which only has a top speed of 100 mi/h and at that speed feels like you are in the space ****tle re-entering the atmosphere, all that shaking and the front end of the car starts glowing red and pieces of the car start breaking off... Seems like a dumb study.