There are a lot of jokes about BMW drivers, and most of them depend on the premise that if you’re rich enough to drive a BMW, your wealth somehow entitles you to a greater portion of the road or less responsibility in how you use it. For example, if you ever feel like your job is meaningless, just think about the workers in Munich who install turn signals in BMWs. Or, if light travels faster than sound, why can I hear the horn of the BMW behind me before the light turns green?
Of course, if you drive a BMW, feel free to substitute the name of another premium automotive brand. The point isn’t about BMWs; it’s the stereotype that drivers of expensive cars are more likely to, well, be jerks on the road. And while in the past that may have been a presumption, a study recently confirmed it.
As published in the March 2020 issue of the Journal of Transport and Health, researchers studied the correlation between the value of a car and the likelihood that the driver of that car would yield for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. They found that for every $1000 increase in the value of a car, the driver was three percent less likely to yield for a pedestrian crossing the street at a mid-block crosswalk. The study also revealed that drivers are more willing to yield for a white person or a woman than a black person or a man.
In case you’re curious about how they reached these conclusions, here’s how they conducted their study. The researchers selected two mid-block crosswalks in suburban Las Vegas. Both locations were near schools, selected because of the premise that drivers were more likely to expect pedestrians when a school is nearby. The roads had two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane. The researchers provided instruction to four participants; one white male, one black male, one white female and one black female, about how to cross the road in a similar manner. All four participants wore matching red shirts. The participants made a total of 190 crossings and researchers observed a total of 461 cars. Car values were determined by reviewing video footage to determine the make, model, year and condition of the car, and then getting an estimated value from Kelly Blue Book.
Of note, the study didn’t conclude that all rich drivers are jerks and all less affluent drivers are great. In fact, overall only 28 percent of the drivers yielded to pedestrians. That’s a concerning outcome and it shows that we as drivers have a lot of work to do.
As to why so many drivers didn’t yield, the researchers could only speculate since they didn’t have the opportunity to interview the unyielding drivers. They proposed several possibilities, one of which I found particularly intriguing. More affluent people are less likely to use active transportation (walking and biking) so they’re not as easily able to sympathize with or recognize the vulnerability of a pedestrian.
While this study was conducted in Las Vegas, the underlying concern has significance here in Whatcom County. Last year, seven pedestrians were killed in Whatcom County (data from the Washington State Patrol Collision Analysis Tool). That’s more than double the average of 3.2 pedestrian fatalities for the previous five years. When cars and people conflict, it’s always the person that loses.
Even though the results of the study were alarming, I have hope that there is something we can do prompt a change in our driving behaviors around yielding to pedestrians. After reading all the various possibilities the researchers gave as to why drivers didn’t yield, I saw a bit of a theme: there is a gap between the risk that drivers perceive and the actual risk posed to the pedestrian.
Based on that, I have a proposal: If it’s been a while since you’ve made walking your mode of transportation, give it a try if you’re able. Cross the street at a crosswalk and remember how vulnerable it feels. Now tuck that feeling in your pocket and keep it close next time you’re driving. Whether we’re in a car or on our feet, we’re all humans trying to get where we’re going safely. Those of us who drive have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to make sure that safety extends to the most vulnerable on the road.
(And for the record, I like BMWs.)