Are motorists equal when they get behind the wheel of their vehicle? If the Belgian Constitution formally enshrines equality before the law, it seems that, on the road, things are more complicated. According to several recent studies, motorists traveling in luxurious, powerful or massive vehicles are more aggressive and less courteous at the wheel than those who are in the passenger compartment of a modest city car.
The latest study to date is to the credit of American researchers who conducted an empirical study examining the behavior of 461 motorists when pedestrians were about to cross on a zebra crossing. In total, only 28% of motorists gave way to pedestrians, who have priority when they indicate their intention to cross. Obviously gallant motorists since 31% stop when the pedestrian is a woman than when it is a man.
But where this study is the most surprising is the motorist’s standard of living. In short: the more expensive the car you drive, the less likely you are to stop to yield to pedestrians. According to the American study, published in the Journal of Transport & Health, the propensity to give priority to pedestrians would drop by 3% per thousand dollars more for the value of the car. Thus, the driver of a luxury sedan would be less courteous than that of a small city car.
A study that reinforces other studies published in recent years. All of which concluded that drivers, stuck behind another vehicle that was too slow to start at a green light, were more likely to honk their horns if their vehicle was larger or if the other driver’s car exhibited lower socio-economic status. economic. Clearly, the bigger we have, the more confident and aggressive we would become…