Maltese road hogs drive luxury cars (science says…)

Can you actually measure motoring etiquette?

Well, it seems two scientists have actually carried out a study to measure driving courtesy on the road.

And the results suggest that it is drivers of luxury cars, and those behind the wheels of vans and work cars, who are the least courteous on the road. Tell us something we don’t know…

The study by IT specialist Edward Attard Montalto and paediatrician Simon Attard Montalto, published on the scientific online journal Xjenza, found that male drivers aged over 40 and driving medium-sized, family saloon cars were the most courteous drivers on Malta’s roads.

In the study, courtesy was actually measured scientifically by assessing driver behaviour in granting the right of way to another car onto a main road leading to a congested roundabout, whereby ‘courteous passage’ was the only reasonable means of access for the second car.

Over the course of 88 days, the same car approached the same junction from the same secondary road between 7:15am and 7:45am: a mobile phone camera discretely recorded how motorists behaved

This car was constantly used in the 88-day study –an 18-year-old Opel Corsa – which approached the same junction from the same secondary road between 7:15 am and 7:45 am on school days between autumn 2014 and spring 2014.

Once the study car was positioned at the appropriate junction in front of the queue, all cars that drove past refusing access as well as the first car that allowed access were recorded discretely using a mobile phone camera. The videos were deleted after the data was analysed.

The data collected resulted in 141 refusals and only 44 courteous passes.

Weather conditions and the presence of co-passengers had no bearing on road courtesy.

Up to 89 male drivers in all car groups refused access, whilst 24 afforded courteous passage, compared with 53 refusals and 19 ‘passes’ by female drivers. This suggests that males were slightly more courteous.

But the major factor influencing drivers’ behaviour was the type of car.

From a total of 48 driving medium-sized saloons, courtesy was accorded by 18 drivers compared with 30 who did not. On the other hand, only four from 36 driving luxury or work vehicles gave pass.

Age did not emerge as a major factor in determining courtesy. However, if the driver’s age was combined with both gender and car type, male drivers aged above 40 years driving medium-sized cars were significantly more courteous than all other groups. Indeed, 10 males from a total of 24 aged over 40 and driving medium-sized cars showed courtesy.