A coworker asserted this morning that “studies” have proven that red sports cars get more speeding tickets than any other vehicle. I’ve heard this “fact” before but I’ve never seen a study that addresses is. soooo,
Do red sports cars get more tickets?
Do drivers of red sports cars pay higher insurance?
And, after all that data is collected, you had better be prepared to find out…
If:
There are alot of red cars versus other colors
There are alot of red sports cars versus other sports cars
Sport cars speed alot versus other cars
Red cars speed alot versus other cars
Young people speed more than others
Young people buy more sports cars than others
Young people buy more red sports cars than others
And you might as well define “sports car” while your at it.
“Sport cars speed alot versus other cars
Red cars speed alot versus other cars”
It has been my observation that just about everybody speeds. I believe the “theory” is that red cars are more noticable. My car, for example, is the exact color of dirty slush mixed with road salt, so we blend right in to Michigan winter roads.
In the UK there is the urban legend of traffic police playing snooker. First, book a red car, then a colour (see below) , then another red until you’ve got 15 red cars. Next go through the colours in socring order - green, brown (or is it brown, green?), yellow, blue, pink and black.
If true, it accounts for a lot of red cars getting booked.
This was triggered by a coworker’s confession that he was caught speeding - 83 in a 55 zone. He drives a blue-and-white Cobra that he built, and another coworker said something like “At least it wasn’t red!”
Anyway, I wanted to prove that this perception is a myth or urban legend, but I wouldn’t know where to find specific data.
'Fraid I’m not going to be of much more help, as I don’t have a cite, but I distinctly recall a study from some years ago that found that white cars were driven at the highest average speeds. IIRC, this was in Parade or some such magazine, so could be hard to find.
Specifically to Houston freeways, black pickups (particularly Chevies) seem the most likely to speed. Anecdotal evidence only, I’m afraid.