IT'S a no-brainer that the absolute worst drivers on the road are those in Commodore or Falcon utilities with lowered suspension. And if the driver is wearing a green fluoro vest, or has P plates, the safest thing to do is just pull over and let them pass.
But what about the luxury vehicles that cruise our streets? Which drivers are considered in need of a good talking to by the constabulary?
Like the Sydney groom who lost control of a hired Lamborghini Gallardo, valued at $500,000, on the way to his wedding this year. The Lambo skidded in the wet and was demolished when it hit a fence. The groom left the car steaming on the side of the road and ran to the church on foot.
Or the Ferrari driver who made an error changing lanes, ploughed into a crash barrier and caused a 14-car pile-up on the Chugoku expressway in Japan late last year. Unfortunately for the driver's insurance company, the crash also wiped out eight Ferraris, three Mercedes and a Lamborghini Diablo, with a total value of $3.85 million.
Then there was the woman cruising around the French Riviera who managed to smash her $400,000 Bentley into the side of a Mercedes S-Class, followed by a Ferrari F430, an Aston Martin Rapide, and a Porsche 911. Total damage: more than $1.1 million.
A 2005 GIO survey of 46,000 claims found that drivers of luxury European cars were more likely to have been involved in a car crash than those driving cheaper cars. And it seems Land Rover and Audi drivers were the worst of the lot, topping the list of those who had the most single car collisions (running into stationary objects such as trees or poles) and for those involved in at-fault multi-vehicle accidents. The remainder of the top five was made up of Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and BMW drivers.
Ian Luff, the principal of Drive to Survive, a defensive driving school, says often drivers of luxury vehicles forget to concentrate on actually driving and that many would be better off employing a chauffeur.
"I find that often if you're a high achiever, your brain is back in the office," he says. Soames Job, the executive director of the National Road Safety Council, says the over-representation of luxury cars in accidents might be accounted for partly by the fact that owners of expensive vehicles are more likely to have insurance and to make a claim. "However, when it comes to the vehicles themselves, most accelerate at a very high rate with a minimum of road noise," Dr Job says. "So the car invites you to get up to a higher speed more easily, and to maintain that speed without the aural cues that a cheaper car would offer.
"Further, why are we making and marketing vehicles that are capable of in excess of 200km/h when the maximum limit in most states is 110km/h? I know that people want these cars, but I find it odd."So, who are the worst luxury car drivers on the road? Well, according to a British poll, they are most likely to be behind the wheel of a BMW. The used car website CompuCars.co.uk conducted the poll and found that other motorists considered BMW drivers aggressive, rude, prone to road rage and tail-gating. Moreover, BMW drivers were unaware of other road users and lacked concentration.
But David Atkin, BMW Drivers Club NSW, disagrees. "My experience is that people driving white or silver Camrys are the worst on the road," he says. "Or young men in cars with HSV badges. In Australia, anyone driving a luxury car is paying through the nose for it and they actually respect their cars."