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.

   
   
   
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!

   
    http://channels.netscape.com/autos/package.jsp?name=fte/dumbdrivers/dumbdrivers

 --
BILL P.
Just Dog
  &
 ME