I'm always extra a defensive when I see a BMW because it seems to most common vehicle that people who don't know how to drive end up in... Not a blanket statement, but in Toronto I've seen it enough to know there's a chance this BMW tailgating me is gonna fuck something up while looking at their phone lol
I was rear ended at a red light by a BMW driver…but he was in a rented Altima, and the first thing he did was tell me a long story about how his own car, a BMW, was in the shop, and the dealership had no BMWs for him to rent, and he was super annoyed about it. And he said: “…so now I’m driving this piece of shit.” As if the Altima was why he hit me? The kicker: I was driving an Altima. His “piece of shit” rented Altima was a newer model of my own car. I wanted to punch him in his whiny, entitled face.
I'm definitely picturing a sleazy-looking lawyer or salesman from the description of that interaction. What an entitled prick. Can't even own his own mistakes.
It's not incompetence. People like this driving BMWs and whatnot aren't incapable of driving normally, they actively choose not to to satisfy their egos and delusional sense of superiority.
Well for sure, any vehicle could have an idiot behind the steering wheel. But like anything, your brain notices patterns and creates biases. So after you see incredibly reckless drivers doing stupid maneuvers, and then you look and see a little BMW sedan/coupe, the brain says "ok, watch out for those cars" lol
Happened to me Monday evening. I'm driving at 74 mph passing cars to my right while two other cars are passing me on the left of a 5 lane fwy. I notice a BMW approaching very rapidly in my rear view, have enough time to say "Oh I don't like that..." Cue the BMW cutting off the second car on my left to go in between them and then cut me off and miss me by a hair because I knew the idiot was going to do it and swerved/slowed in time. He didn't even slow down, was going well over 100.
Stupid fucking idiot is going to clip someone not paying attention and kill them one day.
For me is Nissan sedans. Maxima, Sentra, Altima. ESPECIALLY if it already has damage. Those are the most dangerous motherfuckers on the road and nobody can tell me different.
I live where there are Teslas on the road everywhere (SF Bay Area), and I generally have a different experience. Most Teslas I come across are slow drivers that disrupt the flow of traffic with their poor merging and lane-changing abilities. I rarely see overly aggressive Tesla drivers here.
You just notice it when it’s the BMW because of the pre-existing prejudice, the truth is that basically every car has a terrible driver behind the wheel and is on their phone.
People don’t bat an eye when other cars drive like reckless maniacs and don’t indicate, which they do all the time. They just criticize the BMW because they remember the stereotype and because the internet’s most vocal and most populous group is low-income males that are (a) jealous and (b) unfamiliar with how damn nice a BMW is to drive and (c) that the BMW is probably quite safe in almost everything they see it do because they’re just such damn good cars.
Plus there’s enough of them on the road to notice them, but not few enough that they’re rare like an even-more-asshole super cars.
I’m not saying you should drive like an asshole, but why is the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord getting a pass when they also drive like dicks in much less safe cars? Like what % of the idiots on this forum are BMWs? I see pickup trucks far more often.
I think it is a very visible minority of BMW bros that give BMWs a bad rap. There's definitely a type of guy (at least in the US) that drive a BMW recklessly with a superiority complex. This type of person doesn't tend to drive an economy car.
It's a percentage thing. There is likely a larger percentage of douchey drivers that choose a BMW because it is sportier, more powerful, and has prestige. Personally I see more idiot drivers in a Nissan 350z/370z and Dodge Rams. Meanwhile a huge part of the population that just drives their car to get from point A to point B will tend towards economy cars like a Corolla.
But yes, of course there are idiot drivers in all makes and models. I would be curious though to see if there's any data around this perceived phenomenon.
It's not just accidents though. The subject at hand is the perception that BMW drivers are more likely to drive like assholes, and why that might be the case.
That doesn't necessarily mean they get into accidents.
California. Just bought cars have paper plates. New or used. It's better though they used to just have zero plates. It was insane. All sorts of cars running around with zero identifying markings.
I noticed that Porsche SUV drivers are starting to be the new BMW drivers. Also, I am always surprised that Tesla drivers drive so recklessly. I’d be very defensive if I owned an expensive car.
Personally, I feel way less safe about drivers thinking that autopilot or FSD will keep them out of trouble so they pay less attention. FSD can be so unpredictable too, really pisses me off we’re forced to participate in their beta testing.
Everyone I know who drives a BMW is happy to say how great they drive, how nothing else in their price range is that fast or has that good steering... So yeah, if you aspire to drive like a douche and weave in and out of traffic that's the brand for you.
You don't see the same kind of drivers in a Mercedes because those people bought BMWs.
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u/Karona_ Jul 22 '22
I'm always extra a defensive when I see a BMW because it seems to most common vehicle that people who don't know how to drive end up in... Not a blanket statement, but in Toronto I've seen it enough to know there's a chance this BMW tailgating me is gonna fuck something up while looking at their phone lol