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Comment by amanzi | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, it's all too easy to draw wrong conclusions from this data. Based on your opinions, you could argue that WRX drivers are more likely to drink while driving, or, you could argue that WRX drivers are more likely to be pulled over because police target those cars more often.

I'm not American so have no idea why the Dodge RAM is so high - are RAM drivers more likely to drink? Is it because RAM is more common in certain communities? The Chevrolet S Truck is up there too - possibly for the same reasons as the RAM? Are these trucks really common?

Are any of these numbers rated based on overall sales numbers?

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The RAM is a lower priced full-size truck compared to the competition and the S10 and Dakota are probably the cheapest used trucks you can buy. Someone who wants/needs a truck but highly prioritizes price would likely buy one of those models.

From my observation living in Texas for 35 years, _most_ people who buy trucks don't need them. They are buying for the same reason people by Harley Davidson bikes - not because they are the best vehicle for the job, but because they need to compensate for something.

Dodge has a repuation for being the "toughest" and "boldest". It's not necessarily earned, as Ford trucks have done far more real work than Dodge trucks. But Dodge has Viper and Hellcat and SRT and other nonsense which is loud and obnoxious (and I do admit to some appreciation of their willingness to try wild stuff and actually pull it off).

Honestly, most people don't put a lot of thought and research into vehicle purchase (or any other life) choices. They don't make spreadsheets to compare options, weighting and scoring attributes. They watch TV, and the car ads (which comprise about 1/3 of all ads) lead them to their chocies.

> not because they are the best vehicle for the job, but because they need to compensate for something.

If you own a home it's pretty reasonable to own a truck IMO.

You can pay someone to do the work that requires a truck for you. And for most people it's probably cheaper to do that. But if you're interested in doing your own projects then having a truck can be worth it.

The RAM 2500 is sold with the Cummings diesel. It’s popular with the type that like to “roll coal” on cyclists and Prius drivers. I suspect a correlation between that mentality and driving intoxicated.

The Cummins is not unique in that regard, any diesel can be modified that way, any many are -- the question is, why the RAM 2500 and not the Sierra 2500, Silverado 2500, or F250?

Seems to be an over representation of RAMs in the YouTube coal rolling videos

As someone that lives in Massachusetts. The trucks make sense. Most everyone knows that the insurance surcharges from an OUI aren't applied to commercial registrations. So it is a way to beat the surcharge.

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