The Nation's Worst Drivers

NoOption5L · 2005-05-28T02:58:52+00:00

When faced with a written test, similar to ones given to beginningdrivers applying for licenses, one in ten drivers couldn't get apassing score, according to a study commissioned by GMAC Insurance.The GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test found that nearly 20 millionAmericans, or about 1 in 10 drivers, would fail a state driver's testif they had to take one today. GMAC Insurance is part of GeneralMotors' finance subsidiary, GMAC.More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65 wereadministered a 20-question written test designed to measure basicknowledge about traffic laws and safety. They were also surveyed abouttheir general driving habits.Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did worst. Twentypercent of test-takers failed there.The state of Rhode Island leads the nation in driver cluelessness,according to the survey. The average test score there was 77, justeight points above a failing grade.Those in neighboring Massachusetts were second worst and New Jersey,third worst.Northwestern states had the most knowledgeable drivers. In thosestates, just one to three percent failed the test. Oregon andWashington drivers knew the rules of the road best. In Oregon, theaverage test score was 89.According to the study, many drivers find basic practices, such asmerging and interpreting road signs, difficult.For instance, one out of five drivers doesn't know that a pedestrian ina crosswalk has the right of way, and one out of three drivers speedsup to make a yellow light, even when pedestrians are present, the studysaid.Drivers not only lack basic road knowledge, but exhibit dangerousdriving behavior as well."As a nation of drivers, we've made little progress in the past 10years to curb some of the most dangerous driving behaviors, includingdrinking and driving and speeding," said Susan Ferguson, senior vicepresident of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.One out of 10 drivers regularly exceeds the speed limit by 11 or moremiles per...

May 28, 2005 25 Replies

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ZombyWoof 21 years ago

On Sun, 29 May 2005 19:30:54 -0400, "Michael Johnson, PE" wrote something wonderfully witty:

Well I am in the Hampton Roads area and with the extremely large Military presence here that is definitely part of it. Still sucks.

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Michael Johnson, PE 21 years ago

I find it ironic how people who moved here will complain about traffic as if it is not their fault. When I point out that traffic is bad because of people just like them they either can't see the point or do get it and stop complaining as much. It doesn't matter if you moved here yesterday or 20 years ago, you're still part of the reason traffic is horrible. It's amazing how many people think THEY have a right to move anywhere THEY please but once they're there they have the right to tell others to go elsewhere. Such is human nature, I guess.

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Joe 21 years ago

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

I'm in the transient capital of the U.S. (SoFla) and everything you guys are saying is correct.

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Spike 21 years ago

Hey! Spikey Likes IT!

1965 Ford Mustang fastback 2+2 A Code 289 C4 Trac-Lok Vintage Burgundy w/Black Standard Interior Vintage 40 Wheels 16X8" w/BF Goodrich Comp T/A Radial 225/50ZR16

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Michael Johnson, PE 21 years ago

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Spike 21 years ago

Hey! Spikey Likes IT!

1965 Ford Mustang fastback 2+2 A Code 289 C4 Trac-Lok Vintage Burgundy w/Black Standard Interior Vintage 40 Wheels 16X8" w/BF Goodrich Comp T/A Radial 225/50ZR16

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