Diversions

Everyone's allowed a diversion once in a while.
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Speeding Ticket 

A study released late last year provides evidence of what many drivers already suspected: The model of your car likely affects your chances of getting a speeding ticket.

The dreaded speeding ticket: it happens to everyone—but if you think it happens to some people more than others, you’re right.  In a study analyzing auto insurance claims, researchers found that the model of your car may be a factor when police decide to pull you over.

The car that gets the most speeding tickets is the Mercedes-Benz SL class.  Whether it is out of curiosity on the part of the police officer wanting to take a closer look, or the driver who cannot help but enjoy the 382-horsepower, V-8 engine on a car with a purchase price of approximately $100,000, drivers of these cars get four times as many tickets as everyone else.   

These other cars are also more likely to earn their owners a ticket:

  • Toyota Camry-Solara
  • Scion TC
  • Hummer H3 or H2
  • Scion XB
  • Mercedes-Benz CLS
  • Acura Integra
  • Pontiac Grand Prix
  • Mercedes-Benz CLK
  •  Volkswagen GTI

One noteworthy aspect of this list: Only two of these cars are made in Detroit and both have been discontinued. 

The least-ticketed cars include SUVs and more economically friendly cars, such as the Buick Lacrosse, Mazda Tribute, Hyundai Tucson, and Oldsmobile Silhouette.   

This was the second annual study done by Quality Planning, a Verisk Analytics company that validates policyholder information for auto insurers. The study looks at vehicle types, their driver profiles, and the frequency of traffic violations.

—Nicole Bliman 

Add “Great Distance between Fingers!” to Sales Pitch 

The difference in length between the second and fourth finger on a man is an indicator of high levels of prenatal testosterone, which may lead to higher levels of risk-taking and potential financial success.   

A team of researchers at Concordia University analyzed risk-taking among 413 male and female students. The findings were published in Personality and Individual Differences journal.   

“Prenatal testosterone exposure not only influences fetal brain development,” said study co-author and graduate student, Zack Mendenhall, “but it also slows the growth of the index finger relative to the sum of the four fingers excluding the thumb.”

The study compared the length of the index finger with all four digits (known as the rel2 ratio) and found that those with lower ratios were more likely to engage in risk-taking. These findings were further confirmed by the additional measurement of the ratio between the index and ring finger. These correlations were only observed in men.

“A possible explanation for the null effects in women is that they do not engage in risky behavior as a mating signal, whereas men do,” said Professor Gad Saad, Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption.   

“Since women tend to be attracted to men who are fit, assertive, and rich, men are apt to take risks with sports, people, and money to be attractive to potential mates. What’s interesting is that this tendency is influenced by testosterone exposure—more testosterone in the womb can lead to more risks in the rink, the bar, and the trading floor later in life,” says first author and Concordia doctoral student, Eric Stenstrom. —Nicole Bliman