enkeivette
08-14-2013, 12:34 AM
Rich people are more likely to be bad drivers with little respect for pedestrians. And Toyota Prius and BMW drivers may be the worst of all.
That's according to Paul Piff, a researcher with the Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California Berkeley. He published a paper in 2010 on his research into the relationship between bad driving habits and wealth, and he spoke to The New York Times recently about his findings.
Piff and his team staked out a crosswalk and an intersection in California and watched what happened when pedestrians and cars approached. What they found might not surprise anyone.
In a four-way stop intersection, the pricier cars were more likely to jump ahead when it wasn't their turn to go, Benjamin Preston writes in The New York Times.
The researchers also found that at crosswalks, female drivers were more likely to stop for pedestrians than men. All drivers were more likely to stop for a woman than for a man.
Piff also studied car makes and models in these environments and said BMW drivers are awful at crosswalks. "BMW drivers were the worst," he said.
Prius drivers are also horrible, especially with broader driving infractions. Not what you'd expect from the stereotype of the environmentally conscious, do-gooder Prius owner.
"In our higher-status vehicle category, Prius drivers had a higher tendency to commit infractions than most," Piff told the paper.
Piff has done other tests showing that the wealthy lean toward unethical behavior. He has found that wealthy people are more likely to admit that they would steal paper at work or cheat at a computer game of dice.
That's according to Paul Piff, a researcher with the Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California Berkeley. He published a paper in 2010 on his research into the relationship between bad driving habits and wealth, and he spoke to The New York Times recently about his findings.
Piff and his team staked out a crosswalk and an intersection in California and watched what happened when pedestrians and cars approached. What they found might not surprise anyone.
In a four-way stop intersection, the pricier cars were more likely to jump ahead when it wasn't their turn to go, Benjamin Preston writes in The New York Times.
The researchers also found that at crosswalks, female drivers were more likely to stop for pedestrians than men. All drivers were more likely to stop for a woman than for a man.
Piff also studied car makes and models in these environments and said BMW drivers are awful at crosswalks. "BMW drivers were the worst," he said.
Prius drivers are also horrible, especially with broader driving infractions. Not what you'd expect from the stereotype of the environmentally conscious, do-gooder Prius owner.
"In our higher-status vehicle category, Prius drivers had a higher tendency to commit infractions than most," Piff told the paper.
Piff has done other tests showing that the wealthy lean toward unethical behavior. He has found that wealthy people are more likely to admit that they would steal paper at work or cheat at a computer game of dice.