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There are car clubs across Australia, and across the world, but none like the clubs just identified by a new research team. Some people believe there is too much research and not enough action, but the results from http://www.bingle.com.au - a low-cost insurance company - at least make for a bit of fun.
It has classified drivers into their own clubs, although it calls them tribes, based on their behaviour on the road. The tribes range from aggressive 'Type A' drivers through to the easy-going 'Sunday Peace' mob.
There is something for everyone, from intolerant ‘Egotists’ to proud ‘Car Loving Revheads’, aggressive and rude ‘Junior Revheads’, anxious ‘Freshmen’, obedient and cautious ‘Citizens’ and staid and conservative ‘No-Go’s’.
Bingle says the tribes were identified by a social research organisation, the Ipsos-Eureka Social Research Institute. Importantly, it says finding the tribes allows it to identify shared behaviour - and perhaps to begin a move towards more tolerance among drivers and safer roads.
"If groups of drivers are prone to behaving in a similar way on the road, they will likely form part of a tribe that has the same attitudes to road safety and other motorists,” says Andrew O’Hara, executive manager of Bingle.
Among the interesting factoids in the research is that 85 per cent of 'egotists' enjoy driving, 90 per cent of 'citizens' say they are courteous, 66 per cent of 'No-gos' get annoyed when they see other drivers breaking the law, and 93 per cent of 'Sunday peace' drivers are very confident but in the same group 53 per cent admit to looking at the scenery when they drive.
But there is some disturbing stuff, like the number of 'Type A' people who react aggressively and break road rules, the 65 per cent of 'car loving revhead' drivers who speed and the 66 per cent of 'junior revhead' types who will speed up to beat a red light. The key to improved road behaviour, says Ipsos-Eureka researcher Dr Katherine Owens, is picking the best from each trible.
Ipsos-Eureka researcher Dr Katherine Owens, “By understanding these behaviours, and the motivations of individual tribes to act the way they do, we hope to encourage better tolerance among drivers and, eventually, safer roads for everyone.” Which tribe is yours?
TRIBES (% of Australian Drivers)
Type A (9%) Disobedient and impatient
30% do not always drive within the law
50% jump ahead in traffic
52% react aggressively to other drivers
Egotist (10%) Intolerant
65% believe that other drivers are impolite
95% disagreed it is ok to speed to get ahead of traffic
85% enjoy driving
Car Loving Revhead (8%) Car-proud and tolerant
35% say their car is their most prized possession
73% always love driving
65% indicated they often drive 10km/hr over the speed limit
Junior Revhead (8%) Aggressive and rude
66% speed up to beat a red light
77% drive with the music very loud
53% always love driving
Citizen (9%) Obedient and cautious
90% say they are courteous drivers
92% follow the road rules
94% are very familiar with Australian traffic laws
Sunday Peace (10%) Positive and relaxed
55% indicated that they look at scenery while driving
93% are very confident drivers
66% indicated they stay calm when other drivers make mistakes
Nervous (7%) Anxious and fearful
64% find driving stressful
67% fear being involved in a crash
72% plan their driving route to avoid traffic
Freshmen (10%) Passive and anxious
21% feel nervous when driving
Only 10% agree when you drive you need to take risks
New Arrival (8%) Positive but frustrated
35% agree they are familiar with Australian traffic laws
16% indicated that they are not familiar with the roads in their city or town
Practical (10%) Tolerant and obedient
73% disagree nothing is likely to happen to them when driving
42% agree they could improve their driving skills
Only 8% indicated driving situations make them so angry they yell
No Go’s (10%) Staid and considerate
66% get annoyed when other drivers break the law
Only 24% agree driving is enjoyable
62% agree they always plan their route to avoid traffic
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