--- title: Driving Safety: You Shouldn't Follow a Friend in Your Car description: Drivers who follow another car to the same destination are more likely to drive dangerously, a recent study found canonical: https://time.com/4832689/follow-friend-car-study/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-26T15:31:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:20:15.698Z article:section: Health og:title: Why You Really Shouldn't Follow a Friend in Your Car og:description: You are more likely to drive dangerously og:url: https://time.com/4832689/follow-friend-car-study/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3050dbc817a9c8db/6988d34797cdff067e6b1562/follow-friend-car-distraction.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5200 og:image:height: 2925 og:image:alt: Closeup of hand on steering wheel og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Really Shouldn't Follow a Friend in Your Car twitter:description: You are more likely to drive dangerously twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3050dbc817a9c8db/6988d34797cdff067e6b1562/follow-friend-car-distraction.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:13 video:published: 2017-05-08 section: personal-finance topics: electric cars, upfront costs, gas savings, Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF, Chevy Bolt EV, tax credits, payback period, charging stations genre: explainer, consumer finance tones: informative, practical, neutral, light emotions: curiosity (medium), concern (low), optimism (low) sentiment: neutral audience: car buyers, consumers, personal finance readers, electric vehicle shoppers organizations: Tesla, Nissan, Chevy, Fleet Karma, BMW, GEICO, Coinage products: Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF, Chevy Bolt EV, BMW transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Why You Really Shouldn't Follow a Friend in Your Car > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=34b0ab43-cde9-467f-9f5e-739328f9e924&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Is An Electric Car Worth the Cost? MONEY [Watch (HLS stream): Is An Electric Car Worth the Cost? MONEY](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3kgr8e2Q.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2017-05-08. Here's what making the switch will cost you._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video looks at the upfront cost of electric cars and when savings on gas might offset it. It lists starting prices for the Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF and Chevy Bolt EV. It mentions federal and state tax credits that reduce the initial cost. It cites Fleet Karma figures on how long the LEAF and Model S take to pay for themselves versus comparable gas cars, and notes that Bolt numbers are not yet available. ## Key points - Electric cars can have a very high upfront cost, which raises the question of when gas savings will pay for them. (00:05) - A 2017 Tesla Model S sedan starts at $68,000 and, depending on options, can reach over $130,000. (00:17) - The Nissan LEAF is the most affordable of the cars discussed, starting at around $30,000. (00:27) - The Chevy Bolt EV will run upwards of $37,000. (00:27) - Upfront costs can be offset by a tax credit of up to $7,500, plus more tax credits depending on the state. (00:27) - According to Fleet Karma, the Nissan LEAF pays for itself versus a similar gas-powered car in about 50,000 miles. (00:27) - The Tesla Model S pays for itself immediately when measured against a comparable BMW. (00:27) - As charging stations become more commonplace, more buyers are expected to opt for electric over gas. (01:02) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:27] Electric car upfront cost problem. Introduces high upfront electric car costs, the question of gas savings payback, and the Tesla Model S price range. - [00:27 to 01:13] Cheaper models, credits and payback. Covers LEAF and Bolt prices, tax credits, Fleet Karma payback estimates, and the outlook as charging stations spread. ## Key quotes - [00:05] narrator: "Sticker shock at the gas pump might make you dream about an electric car, but those cars can have a very high upfront cost." - [00:11] narrator: "When will they pay for themselves with savings on gas?" - [00:27] narrator: "The Tesla Model S pays for itself immediately when measured against a comparable BMW." - [01:02] narrator: "for these vehicles become more commonplace, we'll be seeing many more buyers opt for electric" ## Questions this video answers - How much does a 2017 Tesla Model S cost? [00:17] - What is the most affordable electric car mentioned? [00:27] - How much can tax credits reduce the cost of an electric car? [00:27] - How many miles until a Nissan LEAF pays for itself compared with a similar gas car? [00:27] - When does a Tesla Model S pay for itself compared with a comparable BMW? [00:27] - What might lead more buyers to choose electric over gas? [01:02] by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jun 26, 2017 3:31 PM UTC Here's what making the switch will cost you. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jun 26, 2017 3:31 PM UTC It happens all the time: You and your friend are both going to the same place, and so, to avoid getting lost, you follow her in your car. But a [recent study ](https://www.eurekalert.org/pub%5Freleases/2017-06/f-faf062317.php)found that the effort of keeping your friend’s car in sight may be risky. The study, [published in _Frontiers in Psychology_](http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00705/full) in May, found that drivers who follow another car to the same destination are more likely to drive dangerously. In an experiment that included 16 students from Arizona State University, participants were asked to do a driving simulation in an invented city. First they were asked to drive wherever they wanted within the city, and then they were asked to drive while following a car in front of them. Overall, according to the study, drivers engaged in more risky behaviors on the road when asked to “follow a friend.” The study found that drivers following the lead car drove faster, made turns at more erratic speeds and changed lanes quicker. Drivers were also more likely to cut in front of pedestrians while following a friend. The study’s authors at Arizona State University believe the participants drove more dangerously because they were afraid of getting lost, a common fear among drivers, according to the study. 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