Luxury car drivers are mean to pedestrians

WASHINGTON: According to a new study, drivers of expensive cars are least likely to stop for crossing pedestrians. Drivers on a whole, aren’t all that great at stopping for pedestrians waiting at crosswalks. Of 461 cars that researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas examined, only 28% gave way to pedestrians. It was noted that the cost of the car was a significant predictor of yielding, with the odds that they would stop decreasing by 3% per $1,000 increase in the car’s value.
“It says that pedestrians are facing some challenges when it comes to safety, and it’s really concerning,” said lead author Courtney Coughenour. “Drivers need to be made aware that they legally have to yield. It’s hard to say whether they’re not yielding because they don’t know the laws or because they don’t want to yield,” Coughenour said. “Further study is needed to examine that. Until then, the bigger thing is driver education.”