According to a yearlong study conducted by a company which aids insurers with identifying risks, drivers of Hummer SUVs have a 4.63 times higher likelihood of receiving a traffic ticket than the average driver.
A list of ticket magnets was compiled by ISO Quality Planning, a company based out of San Francisco, California that studied the records of 1.7 million drivers. The list confirmed several long-held notions: drivers of the 507-horsepower Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and similarly powerful CLK63 AMG received outsized numbers of tickets, as well as generally young owners of the relatively inexpensive Scion tC, xB, and xA and the Audi A4 sports sedan.
Three cars not typically known for excessive speed or expressing their owners’ rebellious natures were also on the list: Subaru Outback and Toyota Camry Solara and Matrix. The Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, two SUVs virtually mechanically identical to the Hummer, were included on the list of least-ticketed vehicles.
Buicks, minivans, and pickup trucks shared the bottom of the list.
Analysts at ISO Quality Planning say that the number of violations drivers of Hummers incur may have a direct correlation with the sense of power they derive from the vehicles. They say it is also likely that their elevated position in the large vehicles could make them less likely to notice road hazards, signs, pedestrians, and other drivers.
ISO Quality Planning’s findings were generally backed up by insurance claims. For example, State Farm advises Hummer owners to expect premiums that are significantly higher than standard liability premiums. Likewise, owners of Scions typically face comprehensive and collision insurance rates much higher than standard rates.