Most Everything I Know About People I Learned from Driving

by jcafesin, posted in Uncategorized

I’m born and raised L.A. and have been driving since I was 14. And yes, illegally, but growing up in the 70s, if you wanted to go anywhere in the Los Angeles area, you had to drive there. There was no Metro Rail back then, and the buses weren’t safe for young girls, or anyone else really, and they were never, ever on time.

If I average out the time I’ve spent behind the wheel — from cruising most of So California until my first full-time job at 16, to crossing the Hollywood Hills at a snail’s pace, or sitting in traffic on the 101 or 405 going to school or work daily, to road tripping 1000 miles to Colorado every year for Christmas — best estimate, collectively I’ve spent a quarter of my life driving. And over the last 50 yrs, I’ve learned a ton about how people think by the actions (or lack thereof) they initiate behind the wheel.

To get good at anything takes practice, which is why most who’ve driven with me would say I’m a skilled driver. Scary, for sure, but I move through traffic smoothly, quickly, often getting to destinations an hour or more ahead of Google’s estimates. I can’t sit in my car on my cellphone, or space out behind the wheel like the Tesla or VW driver crawling along in front of me. Navigating traffic is a game, a psychological study weaving in and out, squeezing into open spaces, always looking ahead for what is going on, and around me for opportunities to move.

I’m not a defensive driver as the DMV handbook suggests. “The #1 rule of driving,” I told my kids when I taught them to drive: “Stay away from other drivers.” To accomplish this, especially in L.A. or any major city, one must be an aggressive driver.

The trick is knowing what type of vehicles to squeeze in front of, when to cut into a long line and what cars aren’t going to let you. It’s understanding who will chase and harass you if you cut them off or race them out, who to let pass, how to lose the idiot pacing you in your blind spot. A quarter of my life driving, and all these years behind the wheel has provided me a window into the psychology of the drivers of most every major automotive brand.

BMW drivers are categorically the worst on the road. Ranks #1 for total negative infractions* (tickets or crashes). Demographics of an average BMW driver (all models) tells us about them:

  • 70% Male
  • White, then Asian
  • Early-to-late 50s
  • Affluent
  • Highly educated

These are generally arrogant men, born of privilege yet internally angry, going through a mid-life crisis after achieving their financial and familial goals, but now, maybe even still, feel empty. They’ll cut you off in their M or 3 Series BMW sports models, then slow down in front of you while on their phone, completely unaware, or don’t even care there’s a line of 20 cars backed up and pissed off behind them.

Cut off or squeeze in front of a BMW driver, and most won’t chase or ram or shoot you. They’re not really paying attention to you, or driving, which is why you want to stay away from them!

RAM drivers are ranked #2 for worst drivers on the road. The RAM 3500 also has the ominous distinction of being the #1 deadliest vehicle, responsible for the most fatalities in the cars they hit. Their demographics tell us why:

  • 80+% Male
  • 70+% White, then Hispanic
  • Mid-30s to early 60s
  • Middle or above income
  • Careers in construction, agriculture, military
  • Politically conservative

These are MAKE MEN GREAT AGAIN followers. Pay attention on the road, and you’ll notice many RAM trucks with American and Support Police flags, or vote for [not my] pres stickers plastered on their bumpers and back windows. They’re generally disenfranchised men, often kids who failed out of school and became veterans, or are running small businesses on tight margins. They’re prone to flash anger and violence, and are gun rights advocates, so don’t piss them off behind the wheel.

Do NOT cut off, race out, or move in front of a RAM truck. Most drivers will harass you — follow too close, flash their lights, put on high beams, or worse. I’ve had a RAM truck race me out for 20 miles after I went around him going too slowly in the fast lane on I5 driving from the Bay to L.A. I’ve had another RAM driver pace me for miles so I wouldn’t pass him, then roll down the passenger window and point a gun at me, though he raced away without pulling the trigger.

Tesla drivers rank #3 for infractions, averaging approx 43 total incidents per 1,000 drivers. While Tesla commands over 50% of the EV market nationwide, owners are concentrated in very specific areas of the country. California has the highest Tesla sales holding half a million registrants. Florida and Texas are far below, followed by Washington. And as a SF native, and part-time resident of Seattle, I’d personally rank them #1 for worst drivers on the road. Two distinct demographic groups tell us why:

  • White Males
  • Asian/Indian Males (35–40% market share in SF and Seattle)
  • 25–50 years old
  • Single/Divorced
  • Highly educated
  • High earners
  • Careers in tech or medicine

First, you have the Driving while Arrogant issue. These are the privileged elite, and they know it. Wear it. Live it. Next is the ‘Driving while Asian’ (DWA) problem, the colloquialism known for a reason — Asian drivers tend to be slow, cut you off frequently, and seem rather unconscious of those around them. Add to this that these Tesla drivers thinking they own the road we all share, and it’s best to steer clear. Passing them is fine. They’re so busy on their oversized monitors or cellphones, they won’t notice.

The 26% women who own Tesla’s that aren’t a replica of the above males, are Woodstock nostalgics — with bumper stickers that say, “I bought this before Elon went crazy.” They’re too blank to know Elon was always crazy, and they’re not saving the planet with an EV because 83% of energy consumption in the US is still fossil fuel, and 58% of that is for the electricity fueling their Tesla’s.

Five decades behind the wheel has shown me the psychology of the driver by the vehicle they chose.

Speeding this along…

VW is ranked #4 for worst drivers on the road. They are one of the few car brands purchased almost equally by men and women (depending on the model). And you know their spacey drivers — the dippy 20 to 30-something putting on makeup or gaily chatting away on her cellphone completely oblivious to you, or anyone else on the road.

Cut them off, even flip them off and they generally don’t notice. If they do, they may give you the finger back, taking no responsibility for going 55 mpg in the fast lane in a 65 mph zone, oblivious they’re creating a dangerous road hazard forcing traffic to move around them.

Suburu is ranked #5 on the list of worst drivers. Ever sat behind a Suburu mom going exactly the speed limit with no one in front of her while she’s handing juice boxes to the kids in the back seat? And these are the safe Suburu drivers — with the fewest accidents, though they likely cause many with everyone passing them. Pass them, for your safety, and theirs.

The #5 rank comes from the Crosstrek and Impreza models. Both hold standalone crash rates where approx 10% of drivers have an active accident claim on their record. These are often young, first-time car buyers, and closely split by gender, urban college students, young professionals. The Problem with 20-something Brains, on Substack. Reading the post should cue you in on best practices for dealing with these drivers on the road.

Averaging 3 hrs a day behind the wheel and on the road with other vehicles, I’ve learned most drivers suck. Whether arrogance or ADHD, most drivers aren’t paying attention to the act of driving, which is why I taught my kids the #1 rule when operating a motor vehicle is to stay away from other cars! Colliding with a BMW or Tesla driver on their phone running the red light or cutting in front of you for that parking space at Trader Joe’s is statistically likely, while hitting a tree or one falling on your car is not.

To become a competent driver, and not just in your own mind, for everyone’s safety, and to lower our skyrocketing insurance premiums, PAY ATTENTION TO DRIVING! Note the psychology of the drivers behind the brands they drive, and act accordingly. But regardless of what you drive, here are some tips (not in the DMV handbook) from a seriously skilled driver with 50 yrs behind the wheel:

  • GET OFF YOUR PHONE.
  • Stop playing with your navigation (music, maps…etc).
  • Pass cars that go too slowly, or SUVs and trucks that impede your vision forward.
  • MOVE OVER to let cars pass who want to go faster (even exceed the speed limit — you are not a cop!).
  • DO NOT PACE other vehicles, especially in their blind spot. Give them a chance to move quickly should they lose a tire or want to avoid something in the road.
  • Stay away from other vehicles!

Road rage doesn’t come outta nowhere. It’s created by bad drivers.

—

Top 20 Car Brands — Total Negative Incidents per 1,000 Drivers
(“Negative incidents” = speeding tickets, DUIs, at‑fault crashes, non‑injury collisions, reckless driving citations, other moving violations.)

  1. BMW — 44.9
  2. Ram — 44.7
  3. Tesla — 42.8
  4. Volkswagen — 40.6
  5. Subaru — 40.3
  6. Acura — 39.6
  7. Infiniti — 38.8
  8. Mazda — 38.2
  9. Hyundai — 37.8
  10. Kia — 37.5
  11. Audi — 36.9
  12. Dodge — 36.7
  13. Chevrolet — 35.9
  14. Ford — 35.7
  15. Nissan — 34.8
  16. Toyota — 33.4
  17. Honda — 32.9
  18. GMC — 32.7
  19. Chrysler — 31.8
  20. Buick — 30.4

*CITATIONS
While the citations below confirm stats in this post, this essay is meant to entertain and enlighten, not infuriate. And even if you’re driving one of the above mentioned ‘worst drivers’ on the list, YOU aren’t one of them, right? ;-}

Vehicle Infraction List (accidents, tickets, DUIs):

BMW stats:

RAM stats:

Tesla stats:

VW stats:

Suburu stats:

Energy stats: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php

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