Does what you drive determine how well you drive? A recent study by Quality Planning Corp, a San Francisco-based company that validates information provided by clients to insurance companies thinks it does.
To that end, they’ve released the results of a study that analyzes the frequency of certain cars to be tagged with violations. Ten vehicle makes and models were characterized by the study’s authors as “spirited” while another ten were labeled “cautious.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, the spirited vehicles had the greater percentage of violations per 100,000 miles driven, with the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class convertible topping the list with a number of violations four times the national average.
This study is not dissimilar from a study Quality Planning completed last year, which showed that hatchbacks and SUVs are less likely to be on the top-ten list of most-ticketed vehicles. Quality Planning believes that this proves SUVs and hatchbacks are driven more cautiously than sedans and sports cars.
In any case, the vehicles with the most violations are:
- Mercedes-Benz SL-Class convertible
- Toyota Camry Solara coupe
- Scion tC coupe
- Scion xB hatchback
- Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG sedan
- Acura Integra coupe
- Pontiac Grand Prix sedan
- Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG sedan
- Volkswagen GTI hatchback
And, conversely, the vehicles with the fewest violations are:
- Buick Rainier SUV
- Mazda Tribute SUV
- Chevrolet C/K-3500/2500 pickup
- Kia Spectra sedan
- Buick LaCrosse sedan
- Saturn Aura Hybrid sedan
- Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan
- Chevrolet Uplander minivan
- Hyundai Tucson SUV
- Pontiac Vibe SUV