the researchers hypothesised that branding could be to blame
I’d believe correlation – I certainly regularly notice a number of BWM drivers being assholes in the US – but correlation isn’t causation. Personally, I doubt that the car is what causes it, so much as it acts like a magnet for assholes. If you’re gonna drive like an asshole, you’re gonna drive some model of car. Maybe a BMW appeals to you more because of said branding, but if it weren’t available, you’d drive something else, and I’m skeptical that you’d suddenly change your driving habits.
I don’t believe the article anywhere tried to claim that buying a BMW turned you from a safe driver into an arsehole did it ? Therefore your causation comment isn’t really apropos.
It’s a clear case of effective marketing selecting a sub demographic: drivers who have self perceptions around their driving and certain innate traits (selfishness, lack of concern for others) will prefer to buy cars that are advertised in a way that boosts their ego or enhances their self perception.
Or to quote an (Aussie) friend of mine "maybe not every BMW owner is an arsehole, but every arsehole I know owns a BMW "
Interesting (to me anyway) anecdotal aside, here in the UK it’s usually Audi drivers who are stereotyped as the aggressive drivers not so much Subaru WRX and BMW owners (source: reddit sub discussions and pub/work conversations, not scientific of course)
I’d believe correlation – I certainly regularly notice a number of BWM drivers being assholes in the US – but correlation isn’t causation. Personally, I doubt that the car is what causes it, so much as it acts like a magnet for assholes. If you’re gonna drive like an asshole, you’re gonna drive some model of car. Maybe a BMW appeals to you more because of said branding, but if it weren’t available, you’d drive something else, and I’m skeptical that you’d suddenly change your driving habits.
I don’t believe the article anywhere tried to claim that buying a BMW turned you from a safe driver into an arsehole did it ? Therefore your causation comment isn’t really apropos.
It’s a clear case of effective marketing selecting a sub demographic: drivers who have self perceptions around their driving and certain innate traits (selfishness, lack of concern for others) will prefer to buy cars that are advertised in a way that boosts their ego or enhances their self perception.
Or to quote an (Aussie) friend of mine "maybe not every BMW owner is an arsehole, but every arsehole I know owns a BMW "
Interesting (to me anyway) anecdotal aside, here in the UK it’s usually Audi drivers who are stereotyped as the aggressive drivers not so much Subaru WRX and BMW owners (source: reddit sub discussions and pub/work conversations, not scientific of course)
Very true. Shitty drivers with no regard for anyone else will be the same whatever they’re in.