People Prefer to Drive Vehicles That Look Mean, Aggressive and Angry

Automakers know that aggressive looking cars sell. People tend to see faces and personalities in their machines; they even give them names. Automaker advertisements regularly emphasize terms like "bold," "aggressive," "dominant" and "powerful" to describe the personalities of their vehicles. And vehicle front grille designs emphasize these personalities through headlight and grille patterns that taken together look like "faces."

A team including an anthropologist from the University of Vienna decided to put people's perceptions regarding car personalities to the test. They performed a research study asking people to rate and describe cars according to human personality characteristics. To no car dealer's surprise, they found that both men and women preferred the aggressive looking cars with grille "faces" that looked angry and dominant. People tend to regard cute or cheerful looking cars as weaker cars.

Unfortunately, our preference for aggression in cars carries over to our driving. "Aggressivity" on the road is a common problem that can easily lead to a car wreck. Driving aggressively, and trying to beat or dominate other drivers isn't a sensible approach to sharing the road. You may receive some satisfaction from sitting on the tail of a smaller vehicle trying to intimidate the driver. But as a Pearland, TX auto accident lawyer with extensive experience handling these types of cases, I can tell you that your satisfaction goes away fast when you have to pay for the damages you caused to their vehicle and to their person in a car wreck.

By all means enjoy the mean and powerful look of your car. But powerful people and powerful vehicles don't have to act out to get respect. In fact, a certain distance only adds to their mystique. So, hold that power in check when you drive. Your quiet reserve will ensure that your cash stays in reserve as well.