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View Full Version : Test scores are in: Northeast still has dumbest drivers



dwasson
05-26-2006, 03:13 PM
From: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/05/26/dumb_driver_states/index.html

Insurance company exam indicates one in 11 drivers would fail state licensing exam.
May 26, 2006; Posted: 3:00 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The tiny state of Rhode Island still ranks rock bottom in terms of driving knowledge, according to a national test conducted by GMAC Insurance. Oregon drivers answered the most questions correctly.

The test revealed that about one in 11 licensed drivers in the United States would fail a state drivers test, according to GMAC Insurance.

Rhode Island ranked last year, also, with an average score of 77. Last year, Oregon's average score was 89, which still placed at the top of the rankings that year.

Based on average scores, northwestern states generally ranked highest while the bottom-ranking states were mostly in the northeast. One exception was Vermont, which ranked third. Washington state drivers ranked second. Drivers in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia ranked at the bottom, with D.C. finishing just ahead of Rhode Island.

The 20-question test was based on questions asked in state driver's license examinations. A score of 70 or higher is required to pass a standard state test.

The failure rate for drivers in northeastern states was about 16 percent, according to GMAC Insurance. The failure rate for drivers in northwestern states was from one to seven percent.

The test and an accompanying survey were completed by 5,288 licensed drivers including at least 100 from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey asked about responses to specific driving situations.

(Cheat alert: The following paragraph includes some answers to the test.)

Approximately one in three drivers said they usually do not stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. At least one out of five drivers did not know that pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way. At least one in five also did not know that roads are most slippery when it first starts to rain after a dry spell.

State-by-state rankings: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/05/26/gmac_test_rankings/index.html

Take the test:

http://www.gmacinsurance.com/SafeDriving/2006/drivertest.asp

jgc61sr2002
05-26-2006, 03:17 PM
The study is completed according to GMAC.

Blackened300a
05-26-2006, 04:44 PM
I would like to defend NY drivers by telling you that we have a large population of asian women drivers, as well as Taxi Drivers from third world countries. These people are used to riding bicycles and riding a cart pulled by a donkey. The NY state drivers license exam is a joke and it makes it easy for these people to get a license.

jerrym3
05-30-2006, 06:22 AM
Completely agree with the Asian drivers comment, but I have to include the men as well.

I don't condone high speed driving on crowded NJ roads, but sometimes I think that these folks are oblivious as to what's going on around them.

They will come out of a shopping center and merge into traffic with no concept of getting up to highway speeds quickly.

They may not have many accidents, but they sure do cause them.

BK_GrandMarquis
05-30-2006, 06:44 AM
Whoa whoa whoa. I think we should refrain from making comments about ethnic backgrounds.

I have seen plenty of bad drivers and they come in all forms.

Bluerauder
05-30-2006, 06:52 AM
Darn !!! :rolleyes: Everyone wants to take the test.

Thank you for your interest in the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test. Due to an overwhelming response of drivers wanting to take the test, we are unable to accommodate you at this time.
The use of cell phones while driving has lowered the collective average driving score by 20 points. ;)

rocknrod
05-30-2006, 09:33 AM
Completely agree with the Asian drivers comment, ...
Yep:agree:

Blackened300a
05-30-2006, 03:14 PM
Whoa whoa whoa. I think we should refrain from making comments about ethnic backgrounds.

I have seen plenty of bad drivers and they come in all forms.

I said Asian Women!!! True there are bad drivers in all shapes and colors but there are far more Asians out there and thats why they tip the scale in the worst driver catagory

dwasson
05-30-2006, 03:26 PM
In my experience the worst drivers come from McMinn County Tennessee. They don't get out much, and when they do get on the interstate, they are just amazed at all the traffic passing them.

There are a lot of Ohio drivers who flip a coin to decide what lane to drive in and spin a wheel to choose their speed. What is it about Ohio and left lane bandits?

Some of the best drivers are from the square states. They have a long way to go to get anywhere and they dont get emotional about it. I remember long, high speed convoys on I 80 where we were all driving pretty fast and there was no drama.

BK_GrandMarquis
05-30-2006, 05:41 PM
I said Asian Women!!! True there are bad drivers in all shapes and colors but there are far more Asians out there and thats why they tip the scale in the worst driver catagory


LOL. I know. ;)

Still comments like that should still be kept to one's self. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, it just doesn't always have to be announced. :D

Imagine what I am screaming when a "soccer mom" driving a minivan won't turn right on a red when it is traffic free, cuts me off by about 3 feet when she makes a right hand turn into the center lane and decides she wants to be in the right lane now, then almost hits me when she decideds to come back to the center lane because she doesn't want to slow down or stop to let a guy come out of a driveway. After all that, she pulls into a driveway less than a block after she started all this.

OK, I'm done ranting now. :D :lol: