From the Times website. rest of it is behind a paywall.
If the cars you see in your rearview mirror tailgating you always seem to be flashy models, it is not coincidence. Owners of more expensive vehicles really are less considerate drivers, a study has found.
People with expensive cars are less likely to stop at zebra crossings — possibly, researchers speculate, because they tend to be more self-absorbed and less capable of empathy.
After observing nearly 500 drivers, psychologists discovered that the value of their car was the best predictor of whether they would stop.
The odds of them allowing a pedestrian to cross — as they are required to do by law — decreased by about 3 per cent for every £800 increase in how much their vehicle was worth.
It’s an unfortunate correlation. In a more enlightened civilisation those with more would feel compelled to help those with less through their awareness of their own privilege.
Is that not just another spin on big car small IQ?
Is there really a Law that requires drivers to allow pedestrians to cross at a pedestrian crossing? My understanding is that pedestrians only have the right of way once they are on the crossing and only then when they have checked that the traffic has stopped before starting to cross. Meaning that if a lemming runs out on a pedestrian crossing without looking or waiting for the traffic to stop they have only themselves to blame for any tears.
The zebra crossing law is that pedestrians have precedence if they step onto the carriageway before a vehicle has entered the crossing.
That is it.
Technically there is no requirement on a pedestrian to wait for traffic to stop first, nor for road users to stop for anyone waiting to cross.
However a vehicle must stop if it has not yet passed the give-away lines to the crossing when someone does step into the road. Because of that a “competent and careful driver” would be expected to slow down when approaching a crossing with pedestrians close by it.
In practice a pedestrian will wait and a driver will stop, but that is just a convention because that is the simplest and safest thing for everyone. But a pedestrian does not have to check. Unless a driver can see a crossing is and will remain clear, it is their responsibility to ensure they are able to safely stop at the crossing if necessary.
It is, though, illegal to stop on a crossing where it is avoidable, such as in slow traffic. They are basically like a type of box junction, although plenty of drivers ignore that. Mind, going by the one near me they do not seem to care much for box junctions either.
“People with expensive cars are less likely to stop at zebra crossings” utter bollox
same as the BMW drivers dont use indicators crap -no fucker uses indicators now days
i drive what you could concider an “Expensive Car” but then again its a car that suited by requirments & based on my previous car experences with the same manufacture i choose to stick with them
Subject size is 461 cars, location is US mind, so may not be universal. They did also test different gender and ethenticity of pedestrains to test for bias (and yes, there was some).
my wife used to say that Audi & BMW drivers were the worst & one day we had a play and looked at all cars not indicating when we was out & the ford focus driver was the worst
me i personaly think driving standrds have dimenssed over the years. no matter what the car
& no i dont own an Audi or BMW
