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Oregon's Drivers Smartest — Rhode Island's Dumbest, Study Says
The Daily Auto Insider
Friday, May 27, 2005
May 2005
According to a new study designed to gauge Americans' driving knowledge, Oregon drivers ranked highest with an overall average score of 89 percent (70 percent or higher is required to pass a standard driving test) while Rhode Island ranked lowest with an overall average score of 77 percent.
These results were part of the General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Insurance National Drivers Test in which almost 5,000 licensed drivers nationwide between ages 16-65 years took a 20-question written test representative of those used to award state driver's permits or licenses, according to a GMAC news release.
The test was administered by TNS NFO, the world's largest custom research company and a leading provider of social and political polling. Drivers were given a 20-question test representative of a DMV written drivers test typically used to award a driver's permit or license.
The results of a the test suggest that millions of Americans lack basic knowledge of rules of the road and safe automobile operation. In fact, the study shows that if tested today, one in ten drivers — nearly 20 million Americans — would fail a state driver's test. Furthermore, the study evaluated Americans' everyday driving habits, unveiling dangerous driving behaviors.
Results suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices vexing, 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 (57 million) of drivers who drink admitted they would knowingly drive while over the legal limit "if they felt okay."
General Driving Safety Knowledge: Where Americans Are Lacking
•Drivers 18-24 years old are most likely to fail a written driving test (78 percent passing rate); drivers 50-64 years are most likely to pass (85 percent passing rate).
•Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the least knowledgeable; 1 in 5 were unable to pass the written driver's test.
•Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes are the most knowledgeable with a failure rate of 1 to 3 percent.
•At least 1 out of 5 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.
•1 out of 3 drivers claim to speed up to make a yellow light even when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.
•1 out of 4 drivers would roll through a stop sign rather than come to a complete stop.
•The nation's least knowledgeable drivers (Northeast and Mid-Atlantic drivers) are the most likely to speed.
•Nebraska's drivers are least likely to exceed the speed limit.
•1 out of 10 drivers regularly drives over the speed limit by 11 or more miles per hour, although 58 percent of drivers feel that driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on the interstate is dangerous.
•Younger drivers (18-24 years old) are most likely to speed; older drivers (65+) are least likely.
•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 blinker.
•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.
•1 out of 5 drivers do not know that highways are the most slippery just when it starts to rain after a dry spell. Fortunately, 96 percent of those tested say that they know what to do when they hydroplane.
Which state has the most knowledgeable drivers in the nation? The following is a complete list of state rankings for the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test.
1 Oregon
2 Washington
3 Iowa
4 Idaho
5 Wyoming
6 Vermont
7 Nebraska
8 Wisconsin
9 Montana
West Virginia
11 Minnesota
12 North Dakota
13 North Carolina
14 Indiana
15 Alabama
Nevada
Missouri 18 Virginia
19 Ohio
South Dakota
21 Colorado
22 Kansas
23 Michigan
24 New Hampshire
25 Tennessee
26 Maine
27 Arkansas
South Carolina
29 Georgia
New Mexico
31 Oklahoma
32 Texas
33 Utah
Arizona 35 Mississippi
36 Delaware
Kentucky
38 Pennsylvania
39 Louisiana
40 Illinois
41 Florida
42 Connecticut
43 California
44 Maryland
45 District of Columbia
New York
47 New Jersey
48 Massachusetts
49 Rhode Island
SOURCE: GMAC (excludes Alaska and Hawaii)
The Daily Auto Insider
Friday, May 27, 2005
May 2005
According to a new study designed to gauge Americans' driving knowledge, Oregon drivers ranked highest with an overall average score of 89 percent (70 percent or higher is required to pass a standard driving test) while Rhode Island ranked lowest with an overall average score of 77 percent.
These results were part of the General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Insurance National Drivers Test in which almost 5,000 licensed drivers nationwide between ages 16-65 years took a 20-question written test representative of those used to award state driver's permits or licenses, according to a GMAC news release.
The test was administered by TNS NFO, the world's largest custom research company and a leading provider of social and political polling. Drivers were given a 20-question test representative of a DMV written drivers test typically used to award a driver's permit or license.
The results of a the test suggest that millions of Americans lack basic knowledge of rules of the road and safe automobile operation. In fact, the study shows that if tested today, one in ten drivers — nearly 20 million Americans — would fail a state driver's test. Furthermore, the study evaluated Americans' everyday driving habits, unveiling dangerous driving behaviors.
Results suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices vexing, 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 (57 million) of drivers who drink admitted they would knowingly drive while over the legal limit "if they felt okay."
General Driving Safety Knowledge: Where Americans Are Lacking
•Drivers 18-24 years old are most likely to fail a written driving test (78 percent passing rate); drivers 50-64 years are most likely to pass (85 percent passing rate).
•Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the least knowledgeable; 1 in 5 were unable to pass the written driver's test.
•Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes are the most knowledgeable with a failure rate of 1 to 3 percent.
•At least 1 out of 5 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.
•1 out of 3 drivers claim to speed up to make a yellow light even when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.
•1 out of 4 drivers would roll through a stop sign rather than come to a complete stop.
•The nation's least knowledgeable drivers (Northeast and Mid-Atlantic drivers) are the most likely to speed.
•Nebraska's drivers are least likely to exceed the speed limit.
•1 out of 10 drivers regularly drives over the speed limit by 11 or more miles per hour, although 58 percent of drivers feel that driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on the interstate is dangerous.
•Younger drivers (18-24 years old) are most likely to speed; older drivers (65+) are least likely.
•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 blinker.
•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.
•1 out of 5 drivers do not know that highways are the most slippery just when it starts to rain after a dry spell. Fortunately, 96 percent of those tested say that they know what to do when they hydroplane.
Which state has the most knowledgeable drivers in the nation? The following is a complete list of state rankings for the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test.
1 Oregon
2 Washington
3 Iowa
4 Idaho
5 Wyoming
6 Vermont
7 Nebraska
8 Wisconsin
9 Montana
West Virginia
11 Minnesota
12 North Dakota
13 North Carolina
14 Indiana
15 Alabama
Nevada
Missouri 18 Virginia
19 Ohio
South Dakota
21 Colorado
22 Kansas
23 Michigan
24 New Hampshire
25 Tennessee
26 Maine
27 Arkansas
South Carolina
29 Georgia
New Mexico
31 Oklahoma
32 Texas
33 Utah
Arizona 35 Mississippi
36 Delaware
Kentucky
38 Pennsylvania
39 Louisiana
40 Illinois
41 Florida
42 Connecticut
43 California
44 Maryland
45 District of Columbia
New York
47 New Jersey
48 Massachusetts
49 Rhode Island
SOURCE: GMAC (excludes Alaska and Hawaii)
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