New Yorkers score lowest on the driver's test

[ctrlraven]

Remember NY guys, don't kill the messenger lol.

http://www.autoblog.com/page/4/

New Yorkers score lowest on the driver's test
(http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/25/new-yorkers-score-lowest-on-the-drivers-test/)

Posted May 25th 2007 2:06PM by Jonathon Ramsey (http://www.autoblog.com/bloggers/jonathon-ramsey/)

No disrespect to our friends on the East Coast, but in the "survey results that will probably surprise no one" category: drivers from New York scored the lowest on a Department of Motor Vehicles driving test survey. That doesn't mean New Yorkers are bad drivers ... ahem ... it simply means they don't know the right answers to questions about what to do on the road. One hundred people from every state and Washington D.C. were given questions that apply to every state from DMV tests. The nationwide average was 77.1 percent. The Big Apple scored 71 percent. But NY isn't alone -- the bottom five states are all on the Eastern Seaboard. And which state do you think had the best group of respondents? That's right: Idaho, leading the curve with 87.1 percent. Second best? Alaska. Apparently, you do better on driving tests in states where you're more likely to hit something other than a person. Who knew?

[Dragcity]

Hey, You had to read it to find out. I have lived it since beginning to drive in 1980. Our defnsive driving skills include ....

1) Assume everyone is going to run into You ! (and drive accordingly)

[DEFYANT]

Hey, You had to read it to find out. I have lived it since beginning to drive in 1980. Our defnsive driving skills include ....

1) Assume everyone is going to run into You ! (and drive accordingly)


Except in NYC wherer it's:

Run into them before they run into you!

[Blackened300a]

We are the lowest because of the melting pot of people that come to live in this state. That poll must have been taken based on NYC cab drivers.

[MENINBLK]

The average is only 77 because I got 98 when I took my exam. :banana2:

[rayjay]

and, don't assume the whole state = NYC. I've been a New Yorker all my life and live no where near NYC. Not that people in upstate cities drive any better, try going through Syracuse, at rush hour, in a snow storm if you want an adventure.:bigcry:

[Bluerauder]

A similar test recently said Rhode Islanders were the worst with Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, DC and Maryland in the bottom rung. I believe it. Alaska and Hawaii don't even make the list at all (wasn't fair to ask them questions about the Interstate :P).
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++
State-by-state scores on driving test
These are the average scores for each state on the GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test.
May 27, 2005: 11:17 AM EDT

New York (CNN/Money) - These are the average scores on a 20-question driver's test administered to more than 5,000 licensed drivers in a survey commissioned by the GMAC Insurance.

Nation -- 82.7

1. Oregon -- 89.4
2. Washington -- 88.4
3. Iowa -- 87.7
4. Idaho -- 87.5
5. Wyoming -- 87.4
6. Vermont -- 86.6
7. Nebraska -- 86.5
8. Wisconsin -- 86.3
9. Montana -- 86.2
10. West Virginia -- 86.2
11. Minnesota -- 86.1
12. North Dakota -- 85.6
13. North Carolina -- 85.2
14. Indiana -- 85.1
15. Alabama -- 84.7
15. Virginia -- 84.7
15. Nevada -- 84.7
16 Missouri -- 84.7
19. Ohio -- 84.3
19. South Dakota -- 84.3
21. Colorado -- 84.2
22. Kansas -- 84.0
23. Michigan -- 83.8
24. New Hampshire -- 83.7
25. Tennessee -- 83.4
26. Maine -- 83.2
27. Arkansas -- 83.1
27. South Carolina -- 83.1
29. Georgia -- 82.9
29. New Mexico -- 82.9
31. Oklahoma -- 82.8
32. Texas -- 82.7
33. Utah -- 82.6
33. Arizona -- 82.6
35. Mississippi -- 82.5
35. Delaware -- 82.5
35. Kentucky -- 82.5
38. Pennsylvania -- 82.1
39. Louisiana -- 81.7
40. Illinois -- 81.6
41. Florida -- 81.1
42. Connecticut -- 80.9
43. California -- 80.4
44. Maryland -- 79.8
44. Washington, D.C, -- 79.8
44. New York -- 79.8
47. New Jersey -- 78.3
48. Massachusetts -- 77.2
49. Rhode Island -- 77.0
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[RedMerc04]

Well what do you expect from a state that offers the written drivers test in multiple languages even though all of the road signs are written in ENGLISH

[CRUZTAKER]

I never knew there were so many Saturn drivers in NY. :flamer::D

[dwasson]

I'm not that surprised. I've always thought that the best driveres were in the plains and western mountains. People have a long way to go and no time to play games getting there.

[lucenti]

on this day may 29,2007
2 bike's the peddle kind, come shooting out from traffic going in opposite direction while cars were at red light. traveling in right lane driver in middle lane decides to join me. I hit brakes car enters lane driver gives me the brooklyn high 5,4 fingers bent 1 up. ahh yes the what are you doing there, in car, driver decides to park ,while backing into spot they casually hit the front on my car then decide to try to back me up alittle, when i give them a shout out very nicely ofcourse :) i get what the ell are you doing there.
:eek:

[larryo340]

Well what do you expect from a state that offers the written drivers test in multiple languages even though all of the road signs are written in ENGLISH
How (sad but) true it is :mad2:

[lucenti]

:sleepy:Iam thinking have paint ball gun this could prove to be interesting
:flamer:

[TKde0]

People in Rochester, NY need to learn how to stay out of the passing lane if they're not passing.

[Mike Poore]

I think we're missing a important point here. As usual, the folks who take polls/surveys, seem to have an agenda, or are just plain stupid, and the results in these surveys are skewed for one reason, or another. In this case, New York City, I believe, has the largest population of citizens, percentage-wise, who do not own cars or drive them, of any metropolitan area in the country.

Had they done the survey in any rural community(s) where driving cars/pickups/SUV's, is the regular mode of transportation, I suspect the results would have been nearly identical ......Virginia excepted, of course. :rofl:

[Bluerauder]

I think we're missing a important point here.
No ... the important point is that most states require at least a 90% on the DMV driver's test to get a driver's license. Even the average top score (in this case Oregon or Idaho) still fails to meet the mark.

Actually the spread between the top (89.4%) and the bottom (77.1%) is not that large a difference. Barely worth mentioning at all. What this indicates to me is that about half the people on the roads today -- regardless of state -- are not competent enough about traffic laws to be on the road at all. In this case, 70% is not a passing grade or a "C" or even average.

That's only part of the equation because knowing the traffic law is one thing. Observing the law is another. And driver skill and ability is not measured on a written test ..............

[Mike Poore]

Of course, the law of survival of the fittest, would have the function of reaching the limit of probability, and all the incompetent drivers would eventually eliminate themselves from the pool. Statistically, there are more single car fatalities/maimings than multiple vehicle crashes, and those data would not permit the ratio of one bad driver taking out a good one, keeping the ratio static. Furthermore, there's also the unlikely happenstance that two bad drivers would end up in the same crash, further quickening a decline in the ratio of bad drivers to good ones.

Another thing to consider is that the survey was simply to see if the respondents could correctly answer questions put to them about driving, and had nothing whatsoever to do with any-one's driving ability. I mean, you ask a New Yorker a question you might get a reply like: WHUT! Ask the same question in Boston and the reply could be: Excuse me? Anywhere in southern California, and the question had better be in Spanish.