The psychology of black Germanic saloons
Discussion
Driving home from work yesterday on the A421, I was overtaking a truck at 70mph. Whilst I was alongside, a driver of a large, black, German saloon rushed up behind me and glued to my bumper. I calmly finished my overtake and began to pull in front of the truck, when the other driver overtook me before I was in my lane, pulled in front and brake checked me for no reason whatsoever, almost putting me into the front end of the truck, before speeding off.
This got me thinking. What is it about large black German saloons that cause this type of behaviour? I realise that it's not restricted to German marques, but I don't experience the same issues with drivers of say, Japanese models. When was the last time you were tailgated/brake checked by the driver of say, a Mazda?
Lets not turn this into a slanging match of Audi/BMW/Merc/insert model here drivers, I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasoning behind the psychological behaviour when behind the wheel of certain cars, and if this behaviour can be attributed to, for instance, their interior design.
This got me thinking. What is it about large black German saloons that cause this type of behaviour? I realise that it's not restricted to German marques, but I don't experience the same issues with drivers of say, Japanese models. When was the last time you were tailgated/brake checked by the driver of say, a Mazda?
Lets not turn this into a slanging match of Audi/BMW/Merc/insert model here drivers, I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasoning behind the psychological behaviour when behind the wheel of certain cars, and if this behaviour can be attributed to, for instance, their interior design.
The Crack Fox said:
kambites said:
If you think about it, I suppose there is bound to be a significant correlation between personality and car model because car selection is almost largely down to personal preference.
Assuming that people are driving cars that they have chosen, yes, not everyone can afford this luxury though.AndySuperSport said:
Driving home from work yesterday on the A421, I was overtaking a truck at 70mph. Whilst I was alongside, a driver of a large, black, German saloon rushed up behind me and glued to my bumper. I calmly finished my overtake and began to pull in front of the truck, when the other driver overtook me before I was in my lane, pulled in front and brake checked me for no reason whatsoever, almost putting me into the front end of the truck, before speeding off.
This got me thinking. What is it about large black German saloons that cause this type of behaviour? I realise that it's not restricted to German marques, but I don't experience the same issues with drivers of say, Japanese models. When was the last time you were tailgated/brake checked by the driver of say, a Mazda?
Lets not turn this into a slanging match of Audi/BMW/Merc/insert model here drivers, I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasoning behind the psychological behaviour when behind the wheel of certain cars, and if this behaviour can be attributed to, for instance, their interior design.
My experiences of tailgating are of all marques of cars; Fords, Vauxhalls, Audis, Range Rovers, MINIs, Citroens, Nissans, Peugeots, BMWs, Bentleys, Porsches, Mercedes, Land Rovers, Renaults, Toyotas, Hondas, Volvos, Saabs, Kias, Daewoos etcThis got me thinking. What is it about large black German saloons that cause this type of behaviour? I realise that it's not restricted to German marques, but I don't experience the same issues with drivers of say, Japanese models. When was the last time you were tailgated/brake checked by the driver of say, a Mazda?
Lets not turn this into a slanging match of Audi/BMW/Merc/insert model here drivers, I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasoning behind the psychological behaviour when behind the wheel of certain cars, and if this behaviour can be attributed to, for instance, their interior design.
In fact, my experiences of nearly 25 years behind the wheel is that perpetrators of bad driving drive all marques of cars; Fords, Vauxhalls, Audis, Range Rovers, MINIs, Citroens, Nissans, Peugeots, BMWs, Bentleys, Porsches, Mercedes, Land Rovers, Renaults, Toyotas, Hondas, Volvos, Saabs, Kias, Daewoos etc
Stereotyping is the preserve of the lazy and the shallow.
There is absolutely no conclusive nor comprehensive study in the public domain to indicate that bad driving is conducted by drivers of particular marques of cars.
Your anecdotal evidence is just that. As is mine.
S3_Graham said:
kambites said:
If you think about it, I suppose there is bound to be a significant correlation between personality and car model because car selection is almost largely down to personal preference.
hardly. I drive a black 530 and I don't drive like a tosserTo me, the chap in the OP's story sounds like a self-important idiot. He's likely to choose a car that he believes shows everyone else how important he is. German saloons are the default choice for that at the moment. That doesn't mean that every German saloon driver is a self-important idiot or that all self-important idiots drive German saloons (obviously other factors such as cost are also relevant).
However, actual experience tells us that you get idiots in any car marque
Timbola said:
Stereotyping is the preserve of the lazy and the shallow.
You make some valid points, which is why I was interested to know if the design of a car, can somehow dictate your driving manner, rather than the marque.For example, would a driver be more inclined to drive aggressively in a saloon with a dark, masculine interior, than in a hatchback with a more colourful, rounded, softer interior?
That's probably not the right way to describe it but I hope you get what I mean. I know that we're reminded that listening to thrash metal/hard house apparently makes you drive more like a lunatic.
Lets look at a more generalist range of cars, convertibles for instance. Comparing a Merc SLK and an MX-5, would one or the other make the driver more inclined to drive aggressively due to their styling and on-road presence?
>Looks at black BMW parked outside, thinks about previous driving conduct, decides not to be offended<
I wanted grey. I try not to drive like a dick.
When I bought my first black BMW (I'm on my third despite it not being the colour I wanted) I drove it from Norfolk to Kent without indicating because we'd always heard the cliche and wondered if anyone would notice or care. They did not.
The only BMW I've owned that wasn't black was maroon. I didn't like the colour of that either.
I wanted grey. I try not to drive like a dick.
When I bought my first black BMW (I'm on my third despite it not being the colour I wanted) I drove it from Norfolk to Kent without indicating because we'd always heard the cliche and wondered if anyone would notice or care. They did not.
The only BMW I've owned that wasn't black was maroon. I didn't like the colour of that either.
Sump said:
I have Roadhawk, I would have delayed my reaction and hit him and then claimed a new bumper as I need one
He thinks you were doing it on purpose and got pissed off.
Sorry to double post but this is also a good point. What was it you feel that caused him to possibly think I was doing it on purpose? He thinks you were doing it on purpose and got pissed off.
It's this mindset that must be accentuated by some outside influence. Yes he could just be a cock, but it'd be nice to have a more robust reason
Could also be down to the financial state/ status "acquired" by owning/driving this type of car.
Lets face it a large percentage of people who drive these sorts of cars will all be at similar phases of their careers and in similar career paths will largely conform to the expectations of the status that surrounds that particular career phase (usually high end business/management I might add).
Unfortunately some people seem to think that because they have achieved such a "status" in society they deserve/need to be at the forefront of everything, whether it be a queue, a line of traffic or a list of any kind. Thus by driving "slowly" in his way you held up his oh so important life which a lot of these people cannot stand as they spend their entire working lives in an environment where they shout "jump" and everyone else says "how high?"
Lets face it a large percentage of people who drive these sorts of cars will all be at similar phases of their careers and in similar career paths will largely conform to the expectations of the status that surrounds that particular career phase (usually high end business/management I might add).
Unfortunately some people seem to think that because they have achieved such a "status" in society they deserve/need to be at the forefront of everything, whether it be a queue, a line of traffic or a list of any kind. Thus by driving "slowly" in his way you held up his oh so important life which a lot of these people cannot stand as they spend their entire working lives in an environment where they shout "jump" and everyone else says "how high?"
ewenm said:
S3_Graham said:
kambites said:
If you think about it, I suppose there is bound to be a significant correlation between personality and car model because car selection is almost largely down to personal preference.
hardly. I drive a black 530 and I don't drive like a tosserTo me, the chap in the OP's story sounds like a self-important idiot. He's likely to choose a car that he believes shows everyone else how important he is. German saloons are the default choice for that at the moment. That doesn't mean that every German saloon driver is a self-important idiot or that all self-important idiots drive German saloons (obviously other factors such as cost are also relevant).
However, actual experience tells us that you get idiots in any car marque
Of course you get idiots in any car marque; and you get good drivers in any car marque. The question is whether there's an appreciable statistical skew and when you think about it it would be astonishing if there wasn't. AndySuperSport said:
Driving home from work yesterday on the A421, I was overtaking a truck at 70mph. Whilst I was alongside, a driver of a large, black, German saloon rushed up behind me and glued to my bumper. I calmly finished my overtake and began to pull in front of the truck, when the other driver overtook me before I was in my lane, pulled in front and brake checked me for no reason whatsoever, almost putting me into the front end of the truck, before speeding off.
This got me thinking. What is it about large black German saloons that cause this type of behaviour? I realise that it's not restricted to German marques, but I don't experience the same issues with drivers of say, Japanese models. When was the last time you were tailgated/brake checked by the driver of say, a Mazda?
Lets not turn this into a slanging match of Audi/BMW/Merc/insert model here drivers, I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasoning behind the psychological behaviour when behind the wheel of certain cars, and if this behaviour can be attributed to, for instance, their interior design.
Is the actual translation of calmly finishing your overtake really crawling past at a differential of a couple of mph? If so, that will wind people up no end. I think anyone overtaking has a responsibility to get on with it in the shortest possible time but huge numbers of drivers don't. If what I'm guessing at didn't happen, I have no idea why you experienced what happened.This got me thinking. What is it about large black German saloons that cause this type of behaviour? I realise that it's not restricted to German marques, but I don't experience the same issues with drivers of say, Japanese models. When was the last time you were tailgated/brake checked by the driver of say, a Mazda?
Lets not turn this into a slanging match of Audi/BMW/Merc/insert model here drivers, I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasoning behind the psychological behaviour when behind the wheel of certain cars, and if this behaviour can be attributed to, for instance, their interior design.
Seriously..... this s
t again.
Oh it's only ever (insert whichever or all German makes you don't like) that tailgate me.
I almost certain that 99% of these "he tailgated/brake checked me for no reason" stories are bks anyway. I drove 18k last year on motorways, A roads, B roads and country lanes and no I didn't have a single Audi tailgate me not one BMW tried to run me off the road, not one Mercedes failed to indicate and not one VW with a chav driving it tried to race me.
If I kept a list of each type of car that has ever caused me any aggravation over the years it would be interesting to cross reference it with car sales for that year, what are the odds that the cars people moan about most are the most common...............
t again.Oh it's only ever (insert whichever or all German makes you don't like) that tailgate me.
I almost certain that 99% of these "he tailgated/brake checked me for no reason" stories are b
ks anyway. I drove 18k last year on motorways, A roads, B roads and country lanes and no I didn't have a single Audi tailgate me not one BMW tried to run me off the road, not one Mercedes failed to indicate and not one VW with a chav driving it tried to race me. If I kept a list of each type of car that has ever caused me any aggravation over the years it would be interesting to cross reference it with car sales for that year, what are the odds that the cars people moan about most are the most common...............
Where did anyone say anything even remotely like that? The issue comes from the fact that modern cars are so capable and insulated that people feel safer behaving like pricks in them. People "know" they can corner and stop quickly on their big ass wheels with high performance tyres and modern brakes, and the cars take so much of the sensation of speed away that "only" doing 80mph feels like pootling along.
What most TDi drivers seem to forget is that cars with smaller engines can't always accelerate up a steep hill and aren't necessarily taking the piss just because their weedy little lawnmower engines make them move comically slowly compared to a turbo assisted diesel torque monster.
I personally think everyone caught driving like a bellend in a post-2000 car should be forced to take a remedial driving course that takes them on a range of roads from motorways to single track (with passing places).
But they havce to do it in a Mk1 MX5.
On OEM 14" wheels.
In the rain.
At night.
With an instructor tailgating the offender, dazzling the son of a bh with his own goddamned HIDs.
Retaining your licence is dependent on reaching the destination in a certain amount of time...you're late, you're banned.
They'd soon learn a thing or two about stopping distances.
What most TDi drivers seem to forget is that cars with smaller engines can't always accelerate up a steep hill and aren't necessarily taking the piss just because their weedy little lawnmower engines make them move comically slowly compared to a turbo assisted diesel torque monster.
I personally think everyone caught driving like a bellend in a post-2000 car should be forced to take a remedial driving course that takes them on a range of roads from motorways to single track (with passing places).
But they havce to do it in a Mk1 MX5.
On OEM 14" wheels.
In the rain.
At night.
With an instructor tailgating the offender, dazzling the son of a b
h with his own goddamned HIDs. Retaining your licence is dependent on reaching the destination in a certain amount of time...you're late, you're banned.
They'd soon learn a thing or two about stopping distances.
I sold my black german saloon and bought a black swedish SUV.
Now I get picked on (literally at times it feels) by drivers of any colour german saloon- before I had no problems at all?
weird.
BTW I'm finding drivers of White BMW's seem to be overweight slightly balding males who have shaven their hair off to hide their receeding hair, or alternatively these cars are driven by women in over sized sunglasses smoking cigarettes while chatting into their handsfree and drinking costa coffee.
I probably drive the SUV quicker than the german saloon as the Beemer had a running problem so am not sure why the arse end of the swedish model is attracting so many tailgaters...
Now I get picked on (literally at times it feels) by drivers of any colour german saloon- before I had no problems at all?
weird.
BTW I'm finding drivers of White BMW's seem to be overweight slightly balding males who have shaven their hair off to hide their receeding hair, or alternatively these cars are driven by women in over sized sunglasses smoking cigarettes while chatting into their handsfree and drinking costa coffee.
I probably drive the SUV quicker than the german saloon as the Beemer had a running problem so am not sure why the arse end of the swedish model is attracting so many tailgaters...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff