Results from the second annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test announced today suggest that licensed Americans lack basic driving knowledge and exhibit alarming behaviors on the road. The study revealed that one in eleven drivers - nearly 18 million people - would fail a state drivers test. Furthermore, the study shows drivers deliberately disregard pedestrians and treat driving as the new "down time," where they catch up on the day's activities, diverting their attention from the road.

The startling results come one year after GMAC Insurance first set out to gauge the knowledge of the American driving public, when licensed drivers were administered 20 questions found on a typical DMV written drivers test. The 2006 findings indicate drivers still do not have adequate knowledge of basic rules of the road, and they exhibit bad habits behind the wheel. For the second year in a row, Oregon drivers ranked highest on the test, with an average score of 91 percent (70 percent or higher is required to pass a standard drivers test), and Rhode Island ranked lowest, with an average score of 75 percent.

The drivers test administered in the study is available to the public online at www.gmacinsurance.com, as well as additional resources such as tips to stay safe on the road and the most common accident causes.

Pedestrians Beware - Drivers Disregard Those on Foot

Results suggest that many Americans exhibit shocking driving behaviors that not only endanger themselves, but jeopardize others both on and off the road. Roughly one in three drivers usually do not stop for pedestrians - even if they're in a crosswalk or at a yellow light.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), pedestrians constitute the second largest category of motor vehicle crash deaths after vehicle occupants, accounting for 11 percent of fatalities.

Forty-three percent of all pedestrian injuries and 22 percent of fatal injuries to pedestrians occur in collisions with motor vehicles at intersections. In addition, many pedestrians are killed on sidewalks, median strips and traffic islands.

The New Driving Experience - Driving is the New "Down Time"

The study unearthed a growing trend in which Americans treat driving as a time to catch up on activities they didn't get to in their hectic day. Results show that while driving, American drivers engage in a variety of distracting behaviors, including chatting on a cell phone, sending text messages, e-mailing friends, selecting songs on iPods, applying makeup, changing clothes and reading. Drivers aged 18-24 have the most mentions in every situation.

DRIVING DON'TS: WHERE AMERICANS ARE LACKING

    --  Overall, drivers in the Northeast region are most apt to fail
        the test, with state failure rates of 16% or more.

    --  Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest regions are the
        most knowledgeable, with state failure rates ranging from 1%
        to 7%.

    --  Drivers under 35 years old are most likely to fail a written
        driving test (18-24 year olds have the lowest average test
        scores); experienced drivers ages 35-60+, are most likely to
        pass a written driving test.

Pedestrian Protocol:

    --  Roughly 1 in 3 drivers don't usually stop for pedestrians -
        even if they're in a crosswalk or at a yellow light.

    --  At least 1 out of 5 drivers do not know that a pedestrian has
        the right of way at a marked or unmarked crosswalk.

Driving is the New "Down Time"

    --  American drivers engage in a variety of distracting behaviors,
        like chatting on a cell phone, sending text messages,
        e-mailing friends, selecting songs on iPods, applying makeup,
        changing clothes and reading.

    --  Eating and talking on a cell phone are by far the most common
        activities (42% eat and 40% chat on cell phones).

    --  Younger drivers aged 18-24 who are accustomed to always being
        "plugged in" have the most mentions for every distracting
        situation while driving:
 
            --  Eat - 62%
 
            --  Talk on a cell phone - 71%

            --  Send text messages - 24%

            --  Select songs on an iPod - 20%

            --  Apply makeup - 8%

            --  Change clothes - 8%

            --  Read - 4%

            --  Send e-mails - 1%

More Bad Driving Habits

    --  Nearly one-quarter of Americans believe there are
        circumstances in which it's acceptable to not wear a seatbelt.

    --  1 in 7 Americans have packed their car so tightly that their
        vision was obstructed.

    --  At least 1 in 5 drivers do not know:

            --  When to properly use their high-beam headlights or
                what to do when bright headlights come at them at
                night.

            --  That highways are the most slippery just when it
                starts to rain after a dry spell. In fact, this is the
                question most often answered incorrectly for the
                second year in a row. Fortunately, 97% of those tested
                know what to do when they hydroplane.

The test was administered by MarketTools, a market research company. A balanced sample of 5,288 total licensed respondents, aged 16-60+, were given a 20-question test representative of a DMV written drivers test typically used to award a driver's permit or license.

Who has the most knowledgeable drivers in the nation? The following is a complete list of state rankings for the 2006 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test.

1        Oregon
2        Washington
3        Vermont
4        Idaho
4        South Dakota
6        Montana
7        Nebraska
8        Kansas
9        Iowa
10       Wyoming
11       Wisconsin
12       Minnesota
13       Alaska
14       California
15       Indiana
15       Colorado
17       Michigan
18       North Dakota
19       West Virginia
20       Utah
21       Mississippi
22       Illinois
23       Tennessee
24       Texas
24       Kentucky
26       New Hampshire
27       Arkansas
28       Virginia
29       Arizona
30       Georgia
30       Louisiana
32       North Carolina
32       Maine
34       Ohio
35       Oklahoma
36       Alabama
37       Missouri
37       Delaware
39       Nevada
40       South Carolina
40       Florida
42       Pennsylvania
43       New Mexico
44       Connecticut
45       Hawaii
46       Maryland
47       New York
48       New Jersey
48       Massachusetts
50       District of Columbia
51       Rhode Island