Speed traps: America's 10 most ticketed cars
Think driving a Porsche or Camaro makes you ticket bait? Think again. Blazing horsepower doesn't send the car rocketing down the freeway -- the driver does. That helps explain why the vehicles most likely to be involved in a moving violation aren't high-octane speedsters, but rather inexpensive four-cylinder vehicles favored by younger drivers.
As a result, the four-cylinder Subaru WRX is three times as likely to be ticketed (33.6 percent) as the spectacular 8-cylinder Alpha Romeo 8c Competizone (9.3 percent), according to a new analysis by Insurance.com. The lightning quick Dodge Viper (5.3 percent) is also far less likely to draw a ticket than the self-consciously square Dodge Dart (26.7 percent).
Insurance.com looked at the vehicle makes and models that were most frequently involved in a moving violation over the past three years, crunching data provided in 557,000 auto insurance quotes. Cars that did not have at least 50 quote requests were excluded, so there's no data on Ferraris or Lamborghinis. However, hundreds of other automobiles made the cut.
"It's not about horsepower," said Des Toups, managing editor of Insurance.com. "The Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper and Nissan GT-R rank well below average for tickets even though they can easily double the highest speed limits. But those cars are also costly, so their buyers tend to be older and take fewer risks."
Overall, about one in five drivers reported a moving violation in the past three years. Remarkably, though, fully one-third of Subaru WRX owners had been ticketed.
Following are the rest of the cars on the top 10 most-ticketed list, along with the percentage of drivers looking for insurance who reported at least one moving violation in the past year.
2. Pontiac GTO (32.7 percent)
3. Scion FR-S (32.6 percent)
4. Toyota Supra (30.8 percent)
5. Subaru Tribeca (29.7 percent)
6. Volkswagen Rabbit (29.6 percent)
7. Mercury Topaz (28.8 percent)
8. Scion tC (28.8 percent)
9. Toyota FJ Cruiser (28.4 percent)
10. Mazda2 (28.1 percent)
What cars are least likely to get ticketed? The Chevrolet Orlando (a "concept" mini-van, 0 tickets); Ford Eco Sport (1.6 percent); Mercedes DCX Sprinter (3.8 percent); Ford Club Wagon (4.8 percent); and Dodge Viper (5.3 percent).
