Cartoon Motorists

25/11/2005

Evil cartoon driving legend Dick Dastardly has come out top in a list of cartoon capers’ worst drivers analysed by car insurer, Churchill.

The outrageous antics of the mean and mischievous motorist and his sidekick Muttley put Dastardly way ahead of his cartoon counterparts when it comes to wreaking havoc on the roads, according to the Churchill study.

The insurer looked at a whole range of popular cartoon characters, well-known for their driving skills – or lack of them - and reviewed their previous driving history and lifestyle indicators to determine who truly was the worst.

1. Dick Dastardly

A professional rally driver with a criminal background, Dastardly is a seriously high risk driver. In every episode, he crashes the Mean Machine, a heavily modified rally car and persistently uses ruthless measures - including sabotage and reckless driving – to pursue his own self-centred aims.

2. Homer Simpson

A nuclear technician, with very little common sense, Homer’s past driving offences include road rage and sleeping behind the wheel. Worryingly, Homer has a history of health problems –including heart attacks – and he also suffers, amongst other things ....cont/

from, poor eyesight and obesity.

He is often stopped by Chief Wigum for speeding and reckless driving and has built up an extremely poor claims record, especially after he drove his car off a cliff. In one episode he was even spotted driving with his head out of the window, as he couldn’t see out of the fogged up windscreen.

3.Fred Flintstone

Fred’s a frequent speeder. The start of every episode shows him speeding home from work - largely because he’s always late and in trouble with Wilma. He sometimes expects a bit too much from his vehicle – on one occasion overloading it with a large side of ribs, making the car topple over. Driving with bare feet makes him somewhat vulnerable – particularly as they’re the sole means of powering his car.

4.Cruella De Vil

The only female to figure in Churchill’s rogue’s gallery, Cruella has a string of criminal convictions – the foremost of which is the theft of pedigree Dalmatian puppies. Her worst driving offence was trying to run another car off the road but as luck would have it her car skidded and ended up crashing down the side of a hill.

5.Noddy

Noddy has a pretty poor accident record. His misdemeanours include ....cont/

Rising Fuel Prices
Date 15 March 2006 • Rising fuel prices have meant one-third of drivers (36%) have cut back on journeys • More than a quarter (28%) of motorists blame UK tax for rising fuel prices • A rise to just 100p a litre would drive...read more

driving his car into poor Big Ears’ bike and writing off Mr Polly’s red car. His vehicle maintenance record is also sadly lacking. His car regularly breaks down and when he tries to fix it himself, the job usually ends being botched up. Noddy also has had several encounters with Toyland’s policeman Mr Plod - , even being accused of theft on one occasion. He also has used his car as a taxi - taking money from friends in exchange for giving them a lift.

6.Dangermouse

Dangermouse has five university degrees, including ones from Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. He is a secret agent and uses his heavily modified, convertible car to carry out secret missions. A resident of 221B Baker Street - a very exclusive post code area - it’s likely that he also has diplomatic immunity.

7.Inspector Gadget

Like Inspector Gadget’s body, his car - the Gadgetmobile - is also fully loaded. In conventional terms, its arsenal of gadgets – which include a smoke screen, winch and the ability to drop a trail of tracks - would undoubtedly be considered ‘unacceptable modifications’

8.Postman Pat

A pillar of the local community, Postman Pat competes in the Greendale rally in his spare time. He often...cont/

Home drive danger
Home drive danger for British holidaymakers. 9th August 2005 'Driver Lag’ affects over a million British drivers UK holidaymakers heading back from warmer climes this summer risk more than a bad case of jet lag – they...read more

carries expensive items in his van and would have had to make an insurance claim when the keys were stolen by hens.

9.Scooby Doo

Driven by sensible Freddy who is only 16, the left-hand drive van used to transport Scooby Doo and the team would have a high annual mileage as it’s regularly driven to isolated areas, such as haunted houses, to try to track down ‘criminals’. People also are frequently ‘bundled’ into it - which is plainly unsafe.

10.Mickey Mouse

At first glance, he seems like a sensible family man, but underneath that exterior, Mickey does have a passion for speed and driving a convertible.

Darren McCauley, Head of Car Insurance at Churchill, said; “These crazy cartoon characters provide us with some great entertainment and it’s fun to watch their antics on screen. What’s clear from our analysis however is that there are some distinct parallels between their madcap driving behaviour and some of the bad habits we actually see practised on our nation’s roads. The big difference between these characters and real-life situations, however, is that no-one actually ever gets hurt.”