Study: BMW drivers are UK’s angriest motorists

Posted on 22 October, 2010

bmw badgeGreat Britain is a relatively small island with a lot of people and therefore a lot of cars. So it’s fairly important that motorists on crowded roads are as civilized as possible… Naturally, though, not all Brits are pleasant drivers. Gocompare decided to poll 3,000 motorists to see, by vehicle make, which drivers are the meanest of the bunch.

In the UK there is a phenomenon called “white van drivers,” which consists of mostly self-employed males who use vans for everything from delivery to carpentry work – pretty much how Americans use pickup trucks. In short, the Brits can’t stand these drivers because they’re always in a hurry and don’t want anyone in their way. The “white van” finished second overall, showing just how despised number one really is. That distinction goes to BMW owners, who were deemed the most likely to tailgate, speed or flip the bird on public roads, lending some credence to Audi’s hillarious “Meet the Beckers” commercials of a while back. Of course Audi drivers didn’t fare much better, landing at number three on the list of ticked off drivers. Ford managed a number four ranking, followed by Land Rover owners.

Other fascinating data from the survey includes the fact that nearly one in 10 British drivers claim that they’ve had an accident as a result of road rage. And of all the bad driving habits of others, the thing Brits hate most is tailgating, as 58 percent call the practice frightening. 37 percent find the practice of flashing one’s lights as a gesture for the driver in front of them to get out of the way offensive, and 32 percent have been flipped the bird. For more on the survey, including the rest of the makes that managed to make the top 10, head over to the Telegraph.

[Source: Telegraph]