TriShield

They wouldn’t pass a written test if taken today



by Ken Zino on May.27, 2010

Nearly one in five licensed drivers – or about 38 million Americans – would not pass a written drivers test if taken today, according to a new survey from GMAC Insurance.

Some might question why it isn’t more.

The sixth annual survey polled 5,202 licensed Americans from 50 states and the District of Columbia, gauging driver knowledge by administering 20 questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) exams. Additional questions explored distracting habits such as texting while driving.

Overall, findings indicate a number of licensed Americans continue to lack knowledge of basic rules of the road. The national average score decreased to 76.2% from 76.6 % in 2009. Eighty-five percent could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light and many remained confused by safe following distances.

Kansas drivers ranked first in the nation (82.3% average score); New York drivers ranked last (70% average score). Full results can be found at www.gmacinsurance.com.

“It’s discouraging to see that overall average test scores are lower than last year,” said Wade Bontrager, senior vice president, GMAC Insurance. “American drivers need to make safety a top priority and be aware of the rules of the road at all times. The National Drivers Test allows everyone to brush up on their driving knowledge with a brief refresher course.”

When analyzed regionally, the results reveal that drivers in the Northeast may not be as road-rule informed as their Midwestern counterparts. The Northeast had the lowest average test scores (74.9%) and had the highest failure rate (25.1 percent). The Midwest region had the highest average test scores (77.5%) and the lowest failure rates (11.9%).

Results also indicate that the older the driver, the higher the score. Males over 45 earned the highest average test score. Males also out-performed females overall in terms of average score (78.1% male versus 74.4% female) and failure rates (24 % female versus 18.1% male).

Additional questions from the survey reveal drivers conduct a variety of distracting behaviors behind the wheel; approximately one in four participants admitted to driving while talking on a cell phone, eating and adjusting the radio or selecting songs on an iPod. However, only 5% reported they text while driving.

Overall, a significantly higher percentage of females than males reported engaging in the following distracting situations: conversation with passengers, selecting songs on an iPod or CD/adjusting the radio, talking on a cell phone, eating, applying make-up and reading.

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2010...nfit-for-roads

XxGarbSxX

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Model the driver education system after Finland. Plus retesting at regular intervals should be required.

ThisBlood147

Agreed. The qualifications needed to get a license in this country are a joke. And I can vouch for the idiot drivers in this state........I literally FEAR encounters with 4 way stops down here. Better than 3/4 of the people at them don't have a CLUE how it's supposed to work. Either I almost get hit when it's my turn to go or I sit there staring at someone for 20 seconds before the ******** figures out it is his turn to go (maybe these people are waiting for the stop sign to turn green???).

technical

Finally proof that NJ has some of the worst drivers in the country. lol

Gaunt

iTrader: (11)

I would fully support tax dollars going into retesting drivers. That is much more worthy than some of the other **** we are spending money on. Unfortunately, in today's economy, it doesn't seem feasible.

djsanchez2

iTrader: (14)

No surprise california is among the worst.

justin455

I always knew it was better in Indiana now than when I was in Florida. Although I do hate coming to a 4way stop scenario here as well, but for a different reason.
It seems that no matter the obvious order of when everyone stopped, and therefore should go, there always ends up a small, inescapable vortex of waving one another on.
It seems trivial, but it irks me. I fear the day I stop at a red light and the oncoming traffic waves me through.

ThisBlood147

LMAO. Honestly that's the other thing that has really started to drive me crazy lately..............people who don't take the right of way when it's theirs. I almost prefer people who just jut out and take it when it isn't theirs, because then at least you know what the score is. When someone just sits there and refuses to go even though it is their right to go.......you never can be sure what the hell they might do.

1972_Z-28

iTrader: (16)

Not surprising, I know blinking red lights at a multiple lane 4 way stop is almost comical to watch here in the Houston, Tx. area.

DaSkinnyGuy

Test scores yes but as in driving, take a person from south dakota with good test scores and put them in NJ see how long they last driving in NJ. To be in such a densly populated state with people driving fast and switcing lanes back and fourth you need to be a good driver to be able to handle this. If they were bad drivers they would crash.

Now lets take a state like north carolina throw snow onto the roads and you have cars crashed in ditches every mile of the road, go to NJ maybe 1 every 20 miles. So how does a state with good test scores have so many people crashed in ditches? Why because just because you can take a test does not mean you have common sense.

Yes theres bad drivers in all states, theres people who just hate to drive but they have to so they can get to their job.

Go to NJ drive south on the garden state parkway on a friday night when all these people are driving to the beachs doing 80mph, heavy traffic, and no car crashes and your going to say they are the worst.

Joshiedoom

iTrader: (4)

******* kentucky drivers are the worst....

masterz28

iTrader: (8)

I think CA has the worst freeway drivers in the world...

imapala_ws6

I could have told you all this without having a test done lol.

Latch

iTrader: (8)

^ And here's why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR2xVtp1Kwc

BanditTA

iTrader: (3)

And i thought i was the only one who new this. There are more asshats in NY that hang in the left lane, don't sit under traffic lights, ignore road signage, run redlights because it was close to a yellow, etc. than anywhere else.

I design roads for a living and signage/construction plans and I tell entry level engineers to pretend the public is a herd of cattle, they have no brains and cannot think.....seriously.

technical

Only someone from NJ could have produced logic that bad. 'Test scores yes but as in driving, take a person from south dakota with good test scores and put them in NJ see how long they last driving in NJ. ' ... read ... we're so bad that an out of state driver will what? crash, die, be run off the road? Great!!!


Friday night on GSP south 'when all these people are driving to the beach doing 80mph' doesn't exist. It's roughly 15mph which is why people with better test scores go late at night after all those lemmings are off the road.

Joshiedoom

iTrader: (4)

ive said this for years. I think all 16 year olds should have to take the same driving courses that law enforcement officers do. ,minus teaching PIT and chasing techniques.

XxGarbSxX

Hell, 16 is too old. As soon as they can see over the wheel and reach the pedals is when they should start learning. Everyone is different. Setting arbitrary ages where people are suddenly allowed to do something they weren't yesterday makes no sense. You don't magically become a good or safe driver just because you turned a certain age.

And being from Jersey, I will admit that we do have a fair amount of bad drivers, but no more than any other state (probably less). Out of state drivers really **** me off because they don't seem to understand that speed limits are meaningless if everyone around you is doing 15-20 over. Doing the speed limit (55 on many highways) is more dangerous than speeding when everyone around you is doing 80 or better. If you can't handle your car at highway speeds, stay off the ******* highway.

Also, GET THE **** OUT OF THE LEFT LANE! It's called the passing lane for a reason (and it's not because everyone else is passing you on the right). The speed limit does not apply to that lane. Legally it does, but in practice you're more likely to get pulled over for going too slow or failure to allow others to pass.

To put this all into perspective as far as my qualifications, I got a 95 on the written test (only one I got wrong was a question about field sobriety testing) and haven't had any major infractions since my senior year of high school. A copy of the test can be found here: http://moneycentral.msn.com/quiz/dri...quiz/home.aspx

ThoR294

iTrader: (6)

Pa better than jersey are you kidding me

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

This does not surprise me at all. Like thisblood147 above, I hate 4 way stops because people don't know how they work.