What's
Your Driving Personality?
Survey
Says American's Identify With Their Cars
You
have your car keys and your morning coffee, but did you remember
your driving personality? Better yet, did you realize you might
be an "Auto-Bahner" who dreams of testing the boundaries
of speed limits, or an "Auto-Pragmatic" who is fussy
about the way others treat your car?
Allstate's
"You Are What You Drive" survey reveals that how people
describe themselves as drivers is often at odds with how they
actually drive, or their driving "Car-ma."
"We
are constantly trying to gain a deeper understanding of the driving
habits of Americans," said Todd DeYoung, vice president,
marketing, Allstate Insurance Company. "The survey not only
revealed the depth of Americans' opinions about driving-related
issues, but it also produced unique personalities, or 'Car-ma'
based on actual driving actions."
The
survey revealed five categories, each representing between 15
to 23 percent of American drivers. These groups reveal, for example,
strong differences between men and women, car lovers and those
who are indifferent about the driving experience. Allstate has
named these groups "Auto-Bahners," "Auto-Matics,"
"Auto-Nomous," "Auto-Pragmatics" and "Auto-Pilots."
"Auto-Bahners": Seventeen percent of drivers fit this category, describing themselves
as "fast" and "aggressive" but also as "good"
drivers. Compared with other groups, Auto-Bahners are the most
likely to admit getting angry when another driver cuts them off.
However, most of these drivers also concede they like to enjoy
the scenery when they drive.
-
They consider driving exciting and say that driving gives them
a sense of freedom. They say their average cruising speed on
the highway is 71 MPH - the fastest group - and they have clocked
as fast as 93 MPH. Displaying their need for speed, eight in
ten - more than any other group - admit they have driven more
than 20 miles over the speed limit at least once. Most Auto-Bahners
have been pulled over by the police in the past five years,
and half have received a ticket for a moving violation.
- In
the past five years, one-third of Auto-Bahners have also driven
after having three or more drinks - more than most of the other
drivers. Finally, Auto-Bahners are more likely to be male (63
percent) than female (35 percent).
"Auto-Matics": Representing
23 percent of drivers, they are the least sure of themselves;
in fact, this group is generally lukewarm about driving - 40 percent
enjoy it, but the rest are either on the fence or dislike it.
Auto-Matics are less likely than others to describe themselves
as "smart" (63 percent), "practical" (50 percent)
or "family-oriented" (52 percent).
- Three-fourths
of this group agree they are "safe" or "confident"
drivers -- these proportions are smaller than the proportion
of all other groups who say the same. More than 1 in 3 (34 percent)
describe themselves as "laid-back" drivers, making
them the second-most likely group to do so (behind "Auto-Nomous"
and "Auto-Pilot" drivers, both at 39 percent).
- While
they will not win any races with Auto-Bahners, 40 percent of
this group says they like to drive fast. About half say they
love their car and many say the car they drive (although not
driving itself) is important to them, though it is not more
important than it is to most of the other groups. Four in 10
say they like it when people notice their cars, making them
more likely than any other group to find this important. At
the same time, they stand out from other drivers in that they
are more likely than others to say they are "distinctly
styled" (38 percent), "attention-getting" (32
percent), "trendy" (31 percent) and "extravagant"
(22 percent).
"Auto-Nomous": These
drivers represent 21 percent of respondents and describe themselves
as "rugged" and "powerful." They like to enjoy
the scenery, and they consider their cars to be a comfortable
place to be.
- Self-described
"good" drivers, they enjoy driving very much and tend
to find it relaxing. They love and take pride in their vehicles.
They describe their cars as "powerful," "safe,"
"large" and "rugged" and are among the least
likely to say their cars are "economical" - not surprising
considering they are also most likely to drive a pickup truck
or an SUV (about six in 10 drive one of these types of vehicles).
- When
considering a list of items they like least about driving, they
are the most likely to complain about fuel prices. Two-thirds
of Auto-Nomous drivers (63 percent) are male.
"Auto-Pragmatics": This
group (15 percent) describes themselves as "confident,"
"cautious," "economically conscious" and "environmentally
friendly." In a word ...practical. These same sentiments
can be seen in how they view their cars -- safe, convenient, economical,
environmentally friendly and practical.
- This group also consider themselves "good" and "confident"
drivers, but this should not be confused with being "fast"
and "aggressive." Instead, they are also the most
likely to consider their driving style as "safe" or
"cautious." For them it is important to get where
they are going as safely as possible, no matter how long the
trip takes.
- Most
Auto-Pragmatics are fussy about how others treat their cars.
They are the group most likely to describe the inside and outside
of their car as "clean." A majority of this group
(more likely than all other groups of drivers - 58 percent)
is not employed. Instead, fully 28 percent are retired, more
so than any other group. Most (69 percent) are also female.
"Auto-Pilots": These drivers (15 percent) describe themselves as "reliable,"
"confident," "smart" and "family-oriented."
Half of this group has children under 18 at home (more than any
other category). Most (71 percent) are female.
- Although they generally consider themselves "safe"
and "cautious" drivers overall, they are less likely
then Auto-Pragmatics to say so. Instead, this group tends to
be less comfortable behind the wheel -- only 29 percent strongly
agree that they are "confident" drivers. Only one-third
agree that they enjoy driving very much. More so than any other
group, one in three prefers the passenger seat to the driver's
seat, and 24 percent tend to avoid driving whenever they can.
- Still,
a majority of this group is dependent on their car to do their
daily business and the majority concedes that their car is a
comfortable place to be. But the car itself is not important
to this group. Auto-Pilots are least likely to say that their
car is a reflection of who they are or that the kind of car
they drive is important to them.
- Individuals
in this group are among those most likely to be homemakers (18
percent). Compared to other drivers, people in this group are
most likely to drive a minivan (19 percent).
The
Allstate "You Are What You Drive" survey was conducted
for Allstate by RoperASW. Interviews with 2,500 car owners were
conducted online from August 8 to August 15, 2003. The survey
was conducted among an online population of U.S. car owners and
has been weighted to reflect the population of U.S. car owners
as a whole. The sampling error on the total sample is plus or
minus 2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Sampling
error for sub-groups is higher.
MORE
INFORMATION: www.allstate.com
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