Drivers of Expensive Cars Are Less Likely to Stop for Pedestrians, Study Says

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Drivers who don’t want to be considered a jerk on the road may want to think twice before purchasing an expensive car, according to new research.

According to a new study published in theJournal of Transport and Health, researchers from the University of Nevada found that people who drive fancier vehicles are less likely to share the road with other users and empathize less with pedestrians.

The study theorized that drivers who were operating cars that cost more money may have “felt a sense of superiority over other road users,” the study explained, which would cause their “lack of yielding behavior.”

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The volunteers included one white and one black man as well as one white and one black woman, and researchers found that cars, regardless of cost, yielded more frequently to women and white people (31 percent for both) compared to men (24 percent) and non-white pedestrians (25 percent).

Researchers added that the cost of the car was still a “significant predictor” of whether the driver would yield to pedestrians, and the study noted that the lack of empathy for pedestrians could stem from “feelings of entitlement and narcissism” as well as “disengagement and a lower ability to interpret thoughts and feelings of others.”

Last month, aFinnish studyfound similar behavior in men who drove fancy cars.

source: people.com