The Obscured
06-08-2005, 04:32 PM
The Dumbest Drivers Live Here
Beware the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states! The nation's dumbest drivers live there if the GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test is right. The startling results: Nearly 20 million Americans--that would be one in 10 drivers--would fail their state driver's test if they had to take it today.
In addition to surveying them about their general driving habits, GMAC gave its 20-question test to more than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65. Those who live in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states did the worst with 20 percent failing the test.
And of these states, Rhode Island scored the lowest with an average test score of 77 percent, just barely above a failing grade of 70 percent. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia were just ahead of Rhode Island with the lowest scores in the nation.
20 Percent of Adults Do THIS in Their Car [Netscape]
Top 10 Ways to Prevent a Car Accident [Edmunds]
One Color Car Is Involved in Far Fewer Accidents [Netscape]
How Your Driving Record Impacts Your Insurance Rate [Insurance]
What Women Want in a Car vs. What Men Want [Edmunds]
On the other hand, the most knowledgeable drivers live in Oregon with an average score of 89 percent, followed by Washington, Iowa, Idaho, and Wyoming.
And that's not even the scariest part of the survey. The results also suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices troublesome, including merging, failure to yield when making left turns, and road-sign interpretation. In addition, many may not take such important topics as drinking and driving seriously enough. Twenty-nine percent of drivers (57 million) who drink admitted they would knowingly drive while over the legal limit "if they felt okay."
General driving safety knowledge: Where Americans are most lacking is...
* Drivers 18 to 24 years old are most likely to fail a written driving test (78 percent passing rate); drivers 50 to 64 years are most likely to pass (85 percent passing rate).
* Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the least knowledgeable; one in five were unable to pass the written drivers test.
* Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes are the most knowledgeable with a failure rate of just 1 to 3 percent.
* At least one out of five drivers do not know that a pedestrian has the right of way at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. This is of special concern considering that drivers in urban areas are among the least knowledgeable in the nation.
Zoom, zoom, zoom!
* One out of three drivers claim to speed up to make a yellow light even when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.
* One out of four drivers would roll through a stop sign rather than come to a complete stop.
* Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the most likely to speed.
* Nebraska's drivers are the least likely to exceed the speed limit.
More bad driving habits
* Half of Americans report that they do not know how to merge into heavy traffic.
* 60 percent of Americans say that they change lanes on a highway without using their turn signal.
* One-third of Americans have packed their car so tightly that their vision was obstructed.
* 17 percent of Americans have driven without a rear view or driver's side mirror.
Hey, be careful out there!
Beware the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states! The nation's dumbest drivers live there if the GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test is right. The startling results: Nearly 20 million Americans--that would be one in 10 drivers--would fail their state driver's test if they had to take it today.
In addition to surveying them about their general driving habits, GMAC gave its 20-question test to more than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65. Those who live in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states did the worst with 20 percent failing the test.
And of these states, Rhode Island scored the lowest with an average test score of 77 percent, just barely above a failing grade of 70 percent. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia were just ahead of Rhode Island with the lowest scores in the nation.
20 Percent of Adults Do THIS in Their Car [Netscape]
Top 10 Ways to Prevent a Car Accident [Edmunds]
One Color Car Is Involved in Far Fewer Accidents [Netscape]
How Your Driving Record Impacts Your Insurance Rate [Insurance]
What Women Want in a Car vs. What Men Want [Edmunds]
On the other hand, the most knowledgeable drivers live in Oregon with an average score of 89 percent, followed by Washington, Iowa, Idaho, and Wyoming.
And that's not even the scariest part of the survey. The results also suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices troublesome, including merging, failure to yield when making left turns, and road-sign interpretation. In addition, many may not take such important topics as drinking and driving seriously enough. Twenty-nine percent of drivers (57 million) who drink admitted they would knowingly drive while over the legal limit "if they felt okay."
General driving safety knowledge: Where Americans are most lacking is...
* Drivers 18 to 24 years old are most likely to fail a written driving test (78 percent passing rate); drivers 50 to 64 years are most likely to pass (85 percent passing rate).
* Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the least knowledgeable; one in five were unable to pass the written drivers test.
* Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes are the most knowledgeable with a failure rate of just 1 to 3 percent.
* At least one out of five drivers do not know that a pedestrian has the right of way at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. This is of special concern considering that drivers in urban areas are among the least knowledgeable in the nation.
Zoom, zoom, zoom!
* One out of three drivers claim to speed up to make a yellow light even when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.
* One out of four drivers would roll through a stop sign rather than come to a complete stop.
* Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the most likely to speed.
* Nebraska's drivers are the least likely to exceed the speed limit.
More bad driving habits
* Half of Americans report that they do not know how to merge into heavy traffic.
* 60 percent of Americans say that they change lanes on a highway without using their turn signal.
* One-third of Americans have packed their car so tightly that their vision was obstructed.
* 17 percent of Americans have driven without a rear view or driver's side mirror.
Hey, be careful out there!