Friday, November 16, 2007

I think we already knew this...


From our experiences on the roads these days, it's no surpirse to see this story from CNN.
"36 million drivers would flunk drivers tests

...if a test administered by GMAC Insurance is any indication, one in six people cruising our highways and byways -- roughly 36 million licensed drivers -- would flunk their driver's test if they had to take it today. Not only that, but based on the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test data the state with the most road-going dummies is New York, while the most knowledgeable ones are out West to Idaho.
"The results were pretty eye-opening to us," says Gary Kusumi, president and CEO of GMAC Insurance Personal Lines. "Not only did they indicate that there are wide differences in terms of state scores, but there were significant trends that demonstrated the general public might have forgotten must-know items from when they first took their driver's test."
"Two questions consistently sent respondents skidding into the weeds," Kusumi notes. The first has to do with the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light (Answer: Stop if it is safe to do so.). A whopping 84 percent of respondents spun their wheels on that one. The next biggest puzzler after that question had to do with the proper following distance from a car in front of you (Answer: Two seconds).
Also of interest from the GMAC Insurance test:
• Drivers 35 and older were more likely to pass
• Illinois, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts were the least knowledgeable states overall, with average scores under 75 percent
• Fifty-five percent of the respondents didn't know how many feet before making a left or right turn to activate their turn signals
• The national average score was 77.1 percent
...According to GMAC Insurance, 18 percent of respondents failed its National Driving Test in 2007, compared with 9 percent in 2006. The test can be taken online at www.gmacinsurance.com."
Here are the top 5 states: Idaho, Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas
You can see the state rankings here.
You can take the test for yourself here.

2 comments:

GeologyJoe said...

I'm definitely not surprised. I live in Maine and see drivers from MA, NY, NJ all the time. They are always causing problems on our roads.

The All Seeing Eye said...

Thanks for your comment, Geologyjoe. It is interesting to see that the least populated states have the better drivers.