The Times Poll : We Curse the Traffic, but Won’t Give Up Our Cars

Bumper to bumper beneath a beige sky, swearing we’ll move away tomorrow, shaking our fists and brandishing our fingers, we Southern Californians keep on driving all the same, captives of a car culture we can’t quite renounce.

The spell may be wearing off. We don’t like what the automobile is doing to the environment. Many of us--over 40%--believe that cars have ruined Los Angeles. A third of us have considered moving away from the region because of traffic congestion.

We don’t hide our aggravation. Nearly 40% of us say we have made indecent gestures while driving. One in 10 of us has argued with another driver during the last year. When we get in accidents--and 13% of us say we have this year--most (65%) blame it on the other guy.

Yet, we are a long way from giving up on the car. It’s been a year or more since the great majority of drivers (83%) rode a bus. Less than a third of us say we would make frequent use of mass transit if it were available, and a big majority (84%) still drive to work alone.

Most households in the region have at least two cars, and almost half of all higher-income homes--those making over $40,000 per year--own at least three cars.

Those are some of the results of a Times poll that asked people in Southern California a variety of questions about their cars, their driving habits and their attitudes about driving in general. Conducted by Times Poll Director I. A. Lewis, the survey interviewed 2,032 Southern California residents last week. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

When asked what their cars meant to them, the great majority of people made positive statements. Many said their cars give them the freedom to do what they want. Others said they could count on their cars to take them where they needed to go, and some people said their cars are a reflection of themselves and their life styles.

While some of us are quite happy with the cars we drive, owning a Mercedes is on top of most people’s auto wish list.

The poll found that cars reflect their owners’ personalities in several ways. About 11% of the people polled have pet names for their cars. There are no runaway favorites, but “Betsy,” “Sweetheart,” “Beast” and “Bossmobile” are among the more popular names.

Southern Californians drive an average of 117 miles a week, the poll found. More than 37% of them say commuting time has increased, and three out of four say that traffic in their neighborhood is congested.

A few drivers admit that they can pose a danger on the road. Seven percent say they have driven after drinking too much during the last year. One out of every 20 drivers carries a gun in the car, according to the poll.

Given the traffic conditions, Southern Californians are, not surprisingly, an impatient bunch of drivers. Virtually everyone admits to driving over the speed limit at least some of the time.

One of five drivers admits to running a red light during the last month.

Questioned about their pet driving peeves, the largest group (28%) mentioned slow drivers and an equal number complained about people who turn without signaling.

It is the more affluent driver--the one making upwards of $40,000--who feels the pressure of congestion most and who has thought most about moving away. Moreover, it is the affluent male driver who is more likely to represent a menace on the road. The poll suggests that the male driver who makes more than $40,000 a year is more likely to carry a gun in his car, drink and drive, to speed, run red lights, get in arguments with other drivers, make indecent gestures and become involved in accidents.

Questioned about the cars they own and the cars they would like to own, 15% said they already owned the car of their dreams. But most people long for what they don’t have. Mercedes topped the wish list, followed by Jaguar, Cadillac and Corvette.

If cars are us, if each make and model is a reflection of its owner, it seems a fair question to ask what is a Jeep owner like, or how is the owner of a Toyota different from a Ford owner?

Most Jeep owners tend to be Anglo men living in the suburbs. Most of them are under 45 and make more than $40,000 a year. More of them than not describe themselves as political conservatives.

If the Jeep looks more like a recreational vehicle than a town car, its owners, by and large, say they are more interested in doing things that give them personal satisfaction than they are in working hard and doing what is expected of them. Many Jeep owners even sound a bit guilty when talking about themselves, many saying that they are too materialistic.

As for owners of Fords and Toyotas, the poll shows them to be two distinct breeds.

Typically, Ford owners describe themselves as blue-collar workers and high school graduates who make between $20,000 and $40,000 a year. Most are married. Many are over 65 years old. A great many of them say they are not interested in politics.

Toyota owners, on the other hand, tend to be younger, single, and more affluent--making at least $40,000 a year. Many of their jobs are administrative in nature. Discussing their goals in life, they say that achieving personal satisfaction is more important than working hard.

More Southern Californians buy new cars than used--by a margin of 55% to 41%. The remainder drive leased cars. People here prefer foreign to domestic cars by about a 7% margin. Cars from Japan and Germany are the most popular, according to the poll.

The most commonly owned cars in Southern California, according to the poll, are the Honda Accord, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla and Celica. The most widely owned American-made car in Southern California is the Ford Mustang.

On the average, buyers spend just under $10,000 for cars, new and used, according to the poll. Nearly half keep their cars for six years or longer.

Car dealers did not fare well in the poll. Asked to rank them for honesty and ethical standards, drivers put car dealers, along with insurance agents, at the bottom of a list of nine occupations. Ranked first were doctors followed by policemen, druggists, businessmen, lawyers and reporters (tied), and real estate agents.

While most people would like to own a fancier car, the majority have not been swept up in the latest gadget craze.

Only 4% of drivers have telephones in their cars, and while another 31% said they would like to have them, 64% indicated no interest in car phones.

The fuzzy dice fad has a small following. Eight percent of the drivers say they have some sort of ornament in their cars. A larger minority, 18%, say their cars sport bumper stickers. Eleven percent of drivers say they customized their cars. Oversized tires and souped-up engines are the most popular modifications.

Seventeen percent of the people polled have car alarms; 23% have had their cars broken into.

The vast majority of men and women polled (90%) said they pump their own gas and most said they can perform routine maintenance chores. However, 6% said they couldn’t pump their own gas, and 29% said they don’t know how to change a tire.

Asked to explain what a carburetor does, 82% of the men and only 36% of the women interviewed knew the answer.

Although the biggest plurality, 36%, said they worry more about bad drivers than anything else on the road, 12% said they worry more about breaking down. There may be a good reason for that. Some drivers apparently are not accustomed to exercise.

According to the poll, it has been a year or more since 20% of the drivers have walked as far as four city blocks.

A PROFILE OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DRIVER

Each percentage point represents about 130,000 Southern Californians. For example, 8%, or about a million adults, have ornaments such as fuzzy dice or booties hanging from their rear view mirrors. For other revealing statistics about the Southern Californian driver, see below. Pump their own gas: 90% Drive to work alone: 84% Have two or more cars (32% have three or more): 75% Drive a foreign car (41% drive an American car): 47% Often drive over the speed limit: 43% Are not sure what a carburetor is: 41% Buy a used car (55% buy new): 41% Agree that automobiles have ruined Los Angeles: 40% Have made an obscene gesture to another driver: 38% Say their pet peeve is people who drive slowly in the fast lane. Second biggest gripe is people who don’t signal (27%): 28% Had car broken into last year: 23% Have not walked four city blocks in the last year: 20% Have a bumper sticker: 18% Had a car accident in the last year (65% said it was the other guy’s fault): 13% Have had a fight with a driver in last year (1% physical): 12% Don’t drive a car in Southern California: 11% Have a gun in the car: 5%