Drivers of which cars are most often involved in accidents: research

It is important to follow the rules of the road, be careful on the roads and not exceed the speed limit to prevent dangerous situations. Recently, a study was conducted in the UK to find out which car drivers are most likely to get into accidents.

The data analysis showed that risky and aggressive maneuvers caused collisions, with a large proportion of accident perpetrators driving certain brands of cars. The details were reported by The Guardian.

After analyzing the statistics of more than 400 thousand accidents in the UK, it became known that drivers of the following cars were most often involved in accidents:

• Subaru;
• Porsche;
• BMW.

Taking into account variables such as driver age and road type, the researchers suggested that branding might be to blame. Of course, this position is rather conditional. However, the fact remains that drivers of Subaru, Porsche, and BMW are more likely to get into accidents than drivers of, for example, Skoda or Hyundai.

There are many reasons for this: speeding, running red lights, overtaking on double white lines, or ignoring a pedestrian crossing.

Lead author Alan Tapp, professor of social marketing at the University of the West of England, noted that according to the Ministry of Transport, these three car brands usually get into trouble on the roads. He characterized the situation in a broad sense as a marketing influence: "Advertising and marketing seem to celebrate driving style, saying, 'look at me, I'm the king of the roads.

"The question is open: do aggressive drivers choose certain brands of cars, or do brand concepts and specifications make the situation worse? We know that some automakers spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year worldwide to advertise their cars with images that in some cases subtly hint at the connection between their car brand and high driving performance," the expert says.

Of course, these manufacturers comply with laws and technical regulations, and experts debate whether modern marketing methods can have a negative impact on road safety.

Dan Kempsall, an expert at the road safety consulting company Agilysis, drew attention to another nuance. Although manufacturers are introducing all kinds of innovative technologies to improve safety, drivers often disregard traffic rules.

Brand representatives commented on the situation. Thus, a Porsche representative emphasized: "Driving safety is of paramount importance to us."

A representative of Subaru noted that the brand had changed its range and focus after analyzing data for 2011-2015, adding: "Our core principles are safety, capability and reliability. Our SUVs are very family-oriented and we are proud to have received 5 stars from Euro NCAP for the entire model range."

The BMW representative also assured that nothing is more important to the company than safety: "We spend a lot of time and attention on meeting the high standards set by the Advertising Standards Authority."

Mike Howes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, noted that advertising in the UK is governed by strict rules, including the Advertising Codes, which contain strict prohibitions on the depiction of high speed and irresponsible driving.

The authors of the study themselves also call it tentative, and the conclusions should not be taken as proven indisputable facts. Many factors related to driver behavior on the roads should be taken into account.

Subscribe to the OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.