One in five suffers 'car envy'

DRIVERS in the UK are more likely to give way to classic or unusual cars such as a Citroen 2CV or Volkswagen Beetle, but one in five also admits they are less likely to be courteous to large 4x4s due to car envy, according to a survey.

Nearly a half (47%) of UK motorists say they leave more space between their car and the one in front if the car ahead is driven by an elderly driver. Others (5%) admit to trying to slow down boy racers if they see the driver is wearing a baseball cap and is a young male.

Other results shown by the survey conducted by the AA is

15% of young drivers aged 18-24-years old will try to race against a sports car when they come alongside one.

However, only 1% of drivers admit to avoiding parking next to a more expensive car.

Edmund King, AA President, said: ‘There are lots of urban myths about car hierarchies that we wanted to test. The research shows that some drivers are more considerate to others depending on the type of car or type of driver. It seems that a trilby wearing driver in a classic car will be given more slack than one wearing a baseball cap in a sports car or 4x4.

‘Perhaps the most worrying trait is that 19% of drivers and one third of young drivers get impatient with learner drivers. Younger drivers, in particular, should have recent memories of what it was like driving with L plates.’

He added: ‘Although reassuring that almost half of drivers would not tailgate elderly drivers, it does beg the question as to why tailgate any driver? Driving too close to the car in front is the biggest danger on our motorways no matter what the age of the driver or indeed type of car. Our advice is to forget the age of driver or type of car and remember we are all humans who should be treated with respect rather than rage on the roads.’

By Press Association reporters