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You
have always suspected it
was true. There are
people driving that
should not be. You
were right according to
this annual national
drivers test.
Two of
the findings: Age
and wisdom trump
youthfulness and most
people believe driving
laws and tested should be
standardized nationally.
See the
story below then check
the list to see if your
state gets a pass, fail
or barely scraping
by score.
 33
Million Licensed
Americans May be Unfit
for Roads, According to
Fourth Annual GMAC
Insurance National
Drivers Test
Most Knowledgeable
Drivers in Kansas, Least
Knowledgeable in New
Jersey
ST. LOUIS, MO. (May
22, 2008) - Results
from the 2008 GMAC
Insurance National
Drivers Test released
today found that 16.4
percent of drivers on the
road - amounting to
roughly 33 million
licensed Americans -
would not pass a written
drivers test exam if
taken today.
The fourth
annual survey, which
polled 5,524 licensed
Americans from all 50
states and the District
of Columbia, is designed
to gauge driver knowledge
by administering 20
actual questions taken
from state Department of
Motor Vehicles (DMV)
exams. Kansas drivers
ranked first in the
nation, with an average
test score of 84.0
percent; New Jersey
drivers ranked last, with
an average score of 69.9
percent.
Overall, findings from
the 2008 survey indicate
that an alarming number
of licensed Americans
continue to lack
knowledge of basic rules
of the road. While the
national average score
improved slightly to 78.1
percent (from 77.1
percent in 2007), in
general, geographical
regions ranked similarly
to previous years, with
the lowest average test
scores in the Northeast.
Across the board,
respondents continued to
have difficulty on
questions about yellow
lights and safe following
distances. Eighty-four
percent could not
identify the correct
action to take when
approaching a steady
yellow traffic light, and
73 percent could not
properly identify a
typical safe following
distance from the car in
front of them.
Additional key
findings from the 2008
GMAC Insurance National
Drivers Test include:
With Age
Comes Wisdom:
The older the
driver, the
higher the test
score. Drivers
35+ years old
were most
likely to pass.
While
average test
scores between
the genders
were similar,
women were more
likely to fail
the test than
men (20 percent
versus 13
percent)
The
Northeast had
the lowest
average test
scores (76
percent) and
the highest
failure rates
(19.8 percent)
The Midwest
had the highest
average test
scores (81
percent) and
the lowest
failure rates
(11 percent)
Kansas
replaced
Idaho's 2007
ranking as most
knowledgeable;
New Jersey
replaced New
York's 2007
ranking as
least
knowledgeable
New York,
New Jersey, the
District of
Columbia and
Massachusetts
ranked within
the last five
places for the
past three
years
Fortunately,
nearly all
respondents (98
percent) know
what to do when
an emergency
vehicle with
flashing lights
approaches,
what to do when
hydroplaning
and the meaning
of a solid
yellow line.
"It's encouraging to
see that scores are
beginning to get better,
but there is still a lot
of room for improvement,"
said Wade Bontrager, vice
president, marketing,
GMAC Insurance.
"To do
this, we all need to make
safety our top priority,
review the basic road
rules and put them into
practice every day. By
announcing these results
and offering a venue to
learn proper procedures,
it's our goal to help
people become more
knowledgeable, and
therefore safer,
drivers."
Survey Says: Test
Standardization is Key
In addition to the
20-question DMV exam,
GMAC Insurance posed
subsequent questions
exploring drivers'
opinions on the current
testing process.
Bontrager said that
each year, people write
in asking why there isn't
a standard, national
written drivers test.
"While each state has
their own rules and
regulations, we wanted to
find out what people
really think about the
whole process," he said.
"We asked if testing
should be standardized,
if rules should be the
same in every state, if
you should have to retake
an exam, and if so, after
what age and how often.
While this is sure to
spark a healthy debate,
it's all in the name of
bringing safe driving
procedures to the
forefront in our minds."
These findings reveal:
Approximately
three in five
(58 percent)
believe that
permit or
license
applicants
should be
required to
take a
standard,
national
written
driver's test
with questions
applying to all
50 states
Seventy-eight
percent believe
that each state
should have the
same basic
traffic safety
regulations,
such as speed
limit, parking
regulations and
pedestrian
right-of-way
Approximately
two in three
(63 percent)
believe that
drivers should
be required to
re-take the DMV
road test after
a certain age;
87 percent of
those
respondents
believe it
should be no
earlier than
age 60, and 41
percent think
the test should
be retaken each
year
State Rankings
Where are the most
knowledgeable drivers in
the nation? The following
is a complete list of
state rankings for the
2008 GMAC Insurance
National Drivers Test.
1 KS
2 WY
3 NE
4 ID
5 MN
6 AK
6 SD
8 OR
9 IA
9 WA
11 IN |
12 WI
13 UT
14 MO
15 AL
15 CO
15 MT
18 MI
18 TX
18 VT
21 ND |
22 AR
22 NC
22 NM
22 OK
26 DE
26 OH
28 FL
29 KY
30 NH
31 ME
|
32 IL
33 CA
33 CT
33 TN
36 AZ
36 NV
36 PA
39 SC
40 VA
41 RI
|
42 MD
43 WV
44 LA
45 HI
46 MS
47 GA
48 MA
49 NY
50 DC
51 NJ |
Think You're Smarter
than the Average Driver?
GMAC Insurance
encourages the public to
put their skills to
the test.
Play a quirky driving
game, take the written
test itself, compare your
score to the national
average and challenge
friends to top your
score. Also, see how your
state ranked in previous
years and, most
importantly, brush up on
safe driving tips.
Story courtesy:
GMAC
Insurance
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