It’s a common belief that all people have different behaviors and habits. It is normal to find twins that are very different in their looks and even in their behavior. However, when it comes to BMW drivers, they are all the same (or mostly).
If we were to classify drivers according to their cars and how they behave, we would divide them into three categories: Toyota Prius owners, BMW owners, and everyone else. Prius drivers are the ones that are so calm in driving their cars. They would sometimes make you mad as they drive slow in fast lanes.
That’s completely the opposite when it comes to BMW drivers. They usually drive fast, whether it is in a slow lane or a fast lane! But is this true? Why are BMW drivers considered to be the rudest on the road? And if true, why do they behave like this?
The Rich Drive Differently
Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California, Berkeley, found a correlation between careless driving and material wealth. Simply put, the wealthy are more likely to be rude when driving. The study looked at how drivers in California handled four-way stops and how they responded to pedestrians at intersections where they were forced to stop.
They discovered that drivers of expensive vehicles, such as BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, were notably more likely to break traffic regulations by proceeding through intersections when it was not their turn to do so.
One of the researchers, Paul K. Piff, said the most important thing that we want from this study:
“In our crosswalk study, none of the cars in the beater-car category (old, high-mileage cars) drove through the crosswalk. They always stopped for pedestrians.” He then added: “One of the most significant trends was that fancy cars were less likely to stop, and BMW drivers were the worst.”
They Don’t Know the Rules
Vanarama questioned 1,001 drivers about their knowledge of The Highway Code to see which occupations and automakers had the most and least knowledgeable motorists.
BMW drivers were found to be the worst, with only around a third getting all the questions right (28.8 %). In addition, 84% of BMW drivers have acknowledged to unlawfully passing slower cars, while only 22% are aware of the legal exception that applies exclusively on one-way streets.
Luxury car brands like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes are sometimes stereotyped for having rude drivers. However, the former performed far worse than the latter two in the survey; BMW drivers have a reputation for being ignorant of the Highway Code, and this data seems to back up that reputation.
BMW Drivers Are the Most-Hated on UK’s Roads
Moneybarn polled 4,000 Britons in June 2021 to find out who they considered being the “worst drivers on the road,” and over 40% of those who responded stated they had a major issue with BMW drivers. It appears that BMW drivers are not widely accepted by other drivers.
Evidently, BMW drivers have a bad record, which has led to the joke that BMWs don’t even have turn signals. According to the Moneybarn study.
And to end this discussion, a Google search for “why are BMW drivers…” returns suggestions like “so hated,” “so arrogant,” and “idiots!”
Avoid The Man in Blue BMW!
Avoid challenging a male driver if his car is a blue BMW. Don’t even try to pass them when you’re on your way home. A recent study found that male drivers of blue BMWs were the maddest of all drivers.
According to the survey conducted by VoucherCodesPro among 2,837 drivers in the United Kingdom, males between the ages of 35 and 50 are the most prone to experiencing “road rage,” while drivers of BMWs are the most likely to get aggressive, ahead of those of Land Rovers, Audis, Subarus, and Vauxhalls.
In addition, drivers of blue vehicles have been identified as the most prone to engage in aggressive driving, ranking higher than drivers of black, silver, green, or red vehicles.
So the next time you see a blue car stay away, and if it is a BMW, then run away!
BMW Drivers Are The Biggest Jerks
A poll conducted by CarThrottle tried to find if the study conducted by Paul K. Piff at the University of California was true or not. They asked their audience the following question:
“Which cars have the highest ratio of jerks behind the wheel?”
Out of 7440 participants, 41% or over 3000 participants said that BMW drivers are the most disliked drivers on the roads. The following photo shows the rest of this poll details:
BMWs Are The Most Aggressive on Urban Roads
A study conducted by multiple universities in Lithuania found that BMW drivers are more aggressive than Volvo and Volkswagen drivers.
This study compares the 3 car brands, BMW, Volvo, and Volkswagen drivers on urban roads, in two aspects:
- Using a turn signal at a right turn when both directions are allowed.
- And driving along a public transit lane, which is illegal if you don’t turn right immediately.
The study found the following:
The data shows no statistically significant difference between BMW and Volvo or Volkswagen drivers’ signaling behaviors while making a right turn. However, BMW drivers were found to be breaking the law by using the public transportation lane more frequently than those of the other two car brands. Drivers of BMWs were shown to be more likely to intentionally disobey traffic laws than those of Volvos and Volkswagens.
BMW Drivers Are The Rudest On The Road
When compared to drivers of other makes and models, BMW owners were found to be the rudest by a survey conducted by Insurify, a website that compares vehicle insurance rates from many providers.
The methodology of the study aimed to identify the brands and models of cars whose drivers were most likely to be marked for traffic violations such as speeding, passing on the right, improper backing up, failing to stop or yield, street racing or leaving the scene of an accident (hit-and-run).
Drivers of two key BMW model groups, the 4 Series and the 7 Series, topped the list. Third place went to the Audi A5; thus, BMW isn’t the only German carmaker in the top ten; nonetheless, the rest of the top 10 were all Japanese or Korean models, with the exception of the Audi A4, which came in at number ten.
Why BMW Drivers Are The Worst On The Road?
We’re confident that you’ve encountered the BMW driver at least once, if not repeatedly. On the highway, they pass us quickly, never indicate a turn, and drive quickly after stopping (if they even stop at all). However, it’s natural to wonder “why?” Why do BMW drivers behave like this?!
Perhaps it is because they feel obligated to put their “Ultimate Driving Machine” through its paces at every opportunity? Or maybe they’re weaving in and out of traffic because their $60,000 German car didn’t come with the “Turn Signal Package,” and they’re trying to make sure they have enough room to safely switch lanes.
We have presented in this article many research papers and polls/surveys that try to find out why BMW drivers are the worst and why they are the most law breakers, but we may never be able to know the answers to these age-old problems.
To Be Fair
To be fair, any person behind the wheel of any vehicle has the potential to be a rude and careless travel companion. It might be just a coincidence that the vast majority of them drive BMW 3 Series, X5s, or even the dreadful M3s.
So the next time you’re behind a road warrior in a BMW, simply smile and nod while they chase you nonstop before flying past you at 60 miles per hour in a residential zone. At least you’re doing your thing to drive safely and cautiously, just like any normal human being would.
This article sucks
Found the BMW driver