Are You Like Your Car?

If you drive a Prius, do you find that Mercedes are always cutting you off? A new study shows that people who view their car as an extension of themselves have stronger aggressive driving tendencies.

People tend to buy cars that LOOK like them–and car designers know this. Now it’s been discovered that people buy cars that ACT like them too. Aggressive driving causes a third of all accidents that involve personal injuries and two thirds of all fatal accidents in the United States. Researcher Ayalla Ruvio says, "It explains much of the phenomenon we knew existed. We know men tend to be more aggressive drivers and we know men tend to see their cars as an extension of themselves more than women."

Her study shows that people who perceive their car as a reflection of their self-identity are more likely to behave aggressively on the road and break the law. Also, Increased materialism, or the importance of one’s possessions, is linked to increased aggressive driving tendencies (those Mercedes again).

There’s no word about whether Camry drivers tend to be meeker folks, but I guess we can assume this is true. No matter what you drive, you’ll REALLY LOVE the sequel to Communion–the first nonfiction book about the Visitors that Whitley has written in a decade! BE AMONG THE FIRST to get one–PRE-ORDER it today! Once you have purchased the book, you’ll need to either forward the e-receipt or send as a jpg, screenshot (etc.) to the publisher. You will then receive an autoresponse that will include a link to a page where you can input your address. Tarcher will send a special "Communion Enigma" bookplate out to the recipients shortly before publication date. To learn more, click here.