Bad driving and astrology

[teddyv]

I'm not sure how many of us Canucks caught this yesterday on the Global TV's National newscast. Some astrologer has tried to connect peaple's sign with driving capability.

I can't seem to figure out the link to the video, but here's the link to the main page:
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/index.html#

Scroll down to the bottom of the "Global National Stories" section and click on the link "Global National reports".

Sigh....

[Peter Wilson]

Story (http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=0e446147-eae1-4d82-8965-3fc92a358070)

Judging by your skepticism, teddyv, I'm guessing you're a Leo ;)

[teddyv]

Story (http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=0e446147-eae1-4d82-8965-3fc92a358070)

Judging by your skepticism, teddyv, I'm guessing you're a Leo ;)

Actually I'm a Scorpio, apparently one of the three worst signs for driving. :)

[mercury728]

Scorpio......once thought to be ruled by Mars..hot-tempered, revenge-oriented, quick and passionate....maybe they are on to something! What were the first two worst signs for driving? Pisces and Aries?

[Fazor]

Astrology has a lot to do with my ability to drive: when the sun is aligned with my face, i can't see [explicative] and I drive a lot worse.

If it's raining and the sun is perfectly aligned with the other side of the earth, then i can't see the lines on the road very well and i drive worse.

And if i'm bored and decide to read a horoscope while i'm driving (i don't read horoscopes, btw) then i drive really bad.

So i guess he's correct.

[teddyv]

Scorpio......once thought to be ruled by Mars..hot-tempered, revenge-oriented, quick and passionate....maybe they are on to something! What were the first two worst signs for driving? Pisces and Aries?

IIRC, the worst was Libra, then Scorpio, then Capricorn.

[Swordfish]

Blast, Teddyv! You beat me to the thread.

This had better not be taken into consideration for any future insurance adjustments. If it is, then I'll get very angry and... probably just start ****ing and moaning to you guys.

Further justification of a statement by Benjamin Disraeli, "There are three kinds of lie: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

[C18H27NO3]

Capricorn???

What?? :confused:

I'm a great driver! :shifty:

[jseefcoot]

Just another means by which the insurance companies can squeeze a few more pennies from the working man. I wonder if any insurance companies base their rates on real scientific studies?

[Doodler]

Just another means by which the insurance companies can squeeze a few more pennies from the working man. I wonder if any insurance companies base their rates on real scientific studies?


Nope, the insurance racketeers are all over the correllation=causation game. They hit you for your place of residence, your credit rating, anything that might be statistically "provable".

Buggers. And that's the harshest term I can use here that won't get me banned in a nanosecond.

[Fazor]

Nope, the insurance racketeers are all over the correllation=causation game. They hit you for your place of residence, your credit rating, anything that might be statistically "provable".

Wow I didn't even think of that! Thanks! I'm out sick today (managed to crawl to the computer here about 2pm), but when I get back in the office on Monday I'm raising everyone's rates! X-mas bonus for me! Yippie! :)

[Doodler]

Wow I didn't even think of that! Thanks! I'm out sick today (managed to crawl to the computer here about 2pm), but when I get back in the office on Monday I'm raising everyone's rates! X-mas bonus for me! Yippie! :)


One day, when I get my foot out of my mouth, I'm gonna introduce it to yer backside. :p;)

[Maksutov]

These are the signs American drivers don't like to be associated with,

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/8373/roadsignsmo0.th.jpg (http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=roadsignsmo0.jpg)

among others.


Then, for another topic, there's Driving and Bad Astrology, the latter phrase being redundant.

[Spacewriter]

reminds me of the time we took my newly widowed MIL to breakfast at a local beanery. We were sitting at the counter, trying to figure out which eggs special to order and the town crank walked in, sat down next to her and asked her what her sign was. My husband (her son) leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Tell him it's "Feces.""

[beskeptical]

Adapted from my post on the BA's blog on this same subject: (http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2006/12/15/your-karma-ran-over-my-dogma/#comments)

Just as I suspected: (http://money.aol.com/insurance/auto/canvas3/_a/stars-and-cars-the-best-and-worst/20061108133409990002)
….
However, despite astrology’s popularity and appeal, it’s rare to see big companies publicly dabbling in the business of the stars. So I was surprised to see the headline of an Allstate advertisement in a September issue of Entertainment Weekly reading, “Virgos have the most accidents. What’s your road sign?” From there, the ad lists the “Official Rankings” of the best drivers by sign. Aries, Cancer, and Taurus are the top three, with Aquarius, Leo, and Virgo at the bottom of the list….

I was surprised to find other studies looking at this same question — although their results were quite contradictory. Nancy Fenn at Tarot.com refers to a study conducted by Suncorp Metway, Ltd., an Australian financial service. Apparently Suncorp reviewed 160,000 accident claims over a three-year period, and found that Gemini were the worst drivers, followed by Taurus and Pisces. Meanwhile, she found, Capricorns are the best drivers, followed by Sagittarians and Scorpios.

The Web site for Norwich Union, a British insurance company, has reprinted an article from June 2005 claiming that “fast and furious Leos reported the highest number of accidental damage claims,” and that, along with Cancers (I have never had a claim, by the way), are “twice as likely to submit claims” as Geminis, Pisces and Sagittarians.

Elizabeth Joyce, a clairvoyant who has appeared on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ and teaches courses on meditation in Pennsylvania agrees with Allstate’s findings and says that Leos are “speeders who wouldn’t think twice about cutting others off,” and Cancers are “both considerate and defensive.”

It’s a crock! Of course those who want to swindle or believe can find an excuse to explain the contradictory evidence:

There is an explanation for the differing views on astrological signs and the driving records and tendencies of the twelve groups. Carol Allen, one of the most respected astrologers in the country and the astrologer of choice to Hollywood’s movers and shakers, explains that in astrology, the month of your birth may be less important than the position of the planets at a given time.

“In astrology, there is actually a planet that represents vehicles and a planet that represents accidents,” she says. “When the planet of vehicles is with the planet of accidents, no matter what the person’s sign — they will have accidents!” Still, she asserts, “There are definitely driving tendencies and personality patterns of each astrological sign that sits behind the wheel.”

I smell a sales pitch, plain and simple. And you know what bothers me the most? These guys know blatant lies claiming to have looked at 100,000 claims or whatever don’t matter. You can lie with impunity in a sales campaign. Hey the other guys do it, so why not? There are absolutely no consequences for making a claim such as this up. None!

Next time you read some claim such as this I hope your first response is, probably just a bold faced lie. It’s hard to say that. We don’t want to believe that. There must just be a data fluke. Could it really be totally made up out of thin air?

I have one reply, Kevin Trudeau, aka “The Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About.”

[Big Brother Dunk]

Hmmm...I thought this was a golf topic. My driving's bad in that context.

As a Virgo, I'm among the best drivers. That's a lot better than what I used to be, when I was a Libra.

[Kennewick_man]

I think my favorite one from the "study" was for taurus (maybe because I was born under that sign?)

"The astrological sign for Taurus is the bull. They’re stubborn, and have an urge to charge at red lights."

Ummm?.. I charge at yellow lights, not red. But really, how would I know the difference? Aren't bulls colorblind? I'm going to rush right out and buy her book ... the subtle connection made between a red light and a charging bull is sheer genius!

[Fazor]

I think my favorite one from the "study" was for taurus (maybe because I was born under that sign?)

"The astrological sign for Taurus is the bull. They’re stubborn, and have an urge to charge at red lights."

Ummm?.. I charge at yellow lights, not red. But really, how would I know the difference? Aren't bulls colorblind? I'm going to rush right out and buy her book ... the subtle connection made between a red light and a charging bull is sheer genius!

LoL. I too am a Taurus. And I constantly complain about people who speed up to shoot through the yellow/red change (usually stranding someone who's in the interesection trying to turn left). I'll agree with the Allstate campaign tho, 'caus I'm Taurus and I have a perfect record behind the wheel including a coulpe of dazzling evasions of other bad drivers. I'll say it's 'caus I'm a Taurus, and not becaus I was professionally trained to drive in such situations, and with heed to all traffic laws. *rolls eyes*