# Red sports cars and speeding tickets **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2002, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839 "2002-06-13T12:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/1 "2002-06-13T12:57:33Z")
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, 1. Do red sports cars get more tickets? 2. Do drivers of red sports cars pay higher insurance? 3. What about red cars in general? 4. Or sports cars in general? 5. Where would one find such statistics? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/2 "2002-06-13T13:13:49Z")
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. HAVE FUN! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/3 "2002-06-13T14:34:52Z")
“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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/4 "2002-06-13T14:49:52Z")
\ Ohhhhh no, man! That’s a red car! They’re bad luck, man. I ain’t goin’ near it! \ ---
**Author:** ![Go\_alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Go\_alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_alien)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/5 "2002-06-13T15:33:22Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/6 "2002-06-13T16:11:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-sports-cars-and-speeding-tickets/113839/7 "2002-06-13T18:15:05Z")
'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.