Study: 36 Million U.S. Drivers Unfit to Drive
05-25-07 | 08:48 AM
#1
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Study: 36 Million U.S. Drivers Unfit to Drive
Study: 36 Million U.S. Drivers Unfit to Drive
Associated Press
May 24, 2007
CBNNews.com - A new study shows that one in six drivers on the road roughly 36 million licensed Americans would not pass their written DMV exam if taken today.
The third annual survey by GMAC Insurance gauges driver knowledge of the rules of the road by testing licensed Americans on actual questions from state DMV license exams.
According to this years results, New York drivers ousted Rhode Island by ranking last in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on driver knowledge.
Idaho, on the other hand, topped the list and dethroned Oregon's tenure at first place as the most knowledgeable drivers in the United States.
While the national average score is 77.1 percent, New Yorkers had an average of 71 percent and the highest failure rates; Idaho had an average score of 81.7 percent.
In general, geographical regions ranked similarly to previous years, with Arkansas, Minnesota, Kansas and Wisconsin ranking in the top five and New Jersey, Washington, DC, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the bottom five among all states.
Other points of interest drawn from the study include:
With age comes wisdom - the older the driver, the higher the test score. Drivers 35+ years old were most likely to pass.
More than half of respondents don't know how many feet to signal before making right or left turns.
More than two in five drivers are unaware of the meaning of a diamond-shaped sign.
Fortunately, nearly all respondents know what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, what to do when hydroplaning and the meaning of a solid yellow line.
Associated Press
May 24, 2007
CBNNews.com - A new study shows that one in six drivers on the road roughly 36 million licensed Americans would not pass their written DMV exam if taken today.
The third annual survey by GMAC Insurance gauges driver knowledge of the rules of the road by testing licensed Americans on actual questions from state DMV license exams.
According to this years results, New York drivers ousted Rhode Island by ranking last in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on driver knowledge.
Idaho, on the other hand, topped the list and dethroned Oregon's tenure at first place as the most knowledgeable drivers in the United States.
While the national average score is 77.1 percent, New Yorkers had an average of 71 percent and the highest failure rates; Idaho had an average score of 81.7 percent.
In general, geographical regions ranked similarly to previous years, with Arkansas, Minnesota, Kansas and Wisconsin ranking in the top five and New Jersey, Washington, DC, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the bottom five among all states.
Other points of interest drawn from the study include:
With age comes wisdom - the older the driver, the higher the test score. Drivers 35+ years old were most likely to pass.
More than half of respondents don't know how many feet to signal before making right or left turns.
More than two in five drivers are unaware of the meaning of a diamond-shaped sign.
Fortunately, nearly all respondents know what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, what to do when hydroplaning and the meaning of a solid yellow line.
http://www.gmacinsurance.com/
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05-25-07 | 09:49 AM
#4
I've been pretty good at spotting them to either speed away or stay faarrrr back
I don't mind them being slow which they should be. It's when they make abrupt lane changes/turns without looking.
I give a honk to alert them, not to be a jerk or b/c I was upset.
05-25-07 | 10:06 AM
#5
"The third annual survey by GMAC Insurance gauges driver knowledge of the rules of the road by testing licensed Americans on actual questions from state DMV license exams."
05-25-07 | 10:07 AM
#6
"More than half of respondents don't know how many feet to signal before making right or left turns.
More than two in five drivers are unaware of the meaning of a diamond-shaped sign."
More than two in five drivers are unaware of the meaning of a diamond-shaped sign."
Sidenote: I'm an Asian driver...
05-25-07 | 10:46 AM
#7
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I don't follow your reasoning. There is nothing sacred cow about a geezer-license, any more than those of any other age group. Whether 18 or 80, if you screw up enough times, it's bye-bye sheepskin.
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05-25-07 | 10:54 AM
#8
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Honestly, I cant even discriminate about who are the worst drivers out there anymore. Its pointless to try and avoid it. Driving around Philly, NJ, NY all the time, it seems like everyone sucks. 
05-25-07 | 11:05 AM
#9
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I think what he probably meant is to give people above certain age, like 70+year olds mandatory regular tests on their eyesight, hearing response,etc., & revoke their license based on the test results BEFORE they actually screwed up on the road ?? . . .
05-25-07 | 11:11 AM
#10
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There are certain alertness and vision tests that should be required to be passed by people over a certain age so that their license is pulled BEFORE they 'screw up enough times'.
05-25-07 | 11:47 AM
#11
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My own opinion is that the real problem is not so much the inability of geezers to drive safely as it is simply the number of distracting gadgets in new cars.....for that I blame auto manufacturers, not state DMV's. The way controls and displays are set up in some ( not all ) of today's NAV, I-Drive, MMI, and trip computer-equipped vehicles, and their resulting complexities and distractions, is just absurd.
05-25-07 | 11:51 AM
#12
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First, of course, is AARP and its enormous political clout, especially in Florida. Second, it is difficult, in a free society, to slap more regulations on millions of people like that who are not used to it, even though driving, like flying, is legally considered a privilidge, not a right.
Originally Posted by Threxx
Everybody is afraid to revoke their licenses.
Originally Posted by mmarshall
My own opinion is that the real problem is not so much the inability of geezers to drive safely as it is simply the number of distracting gadgets in new cars.....for that I blame auto manufacturers, not state DMV's. The way controls and displays are set up in some ( not all ) of today's NAV, I-Drive, MMI, and trip computer-equipped vehicles, and their resulting complexities and distractions, is just absurd.
05-25-07 | 12:13 PM
#13
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I agree with some of your conclusions, Threxx, but in general, the more complex a vehicle, the more difficult it is to drive it as your mind and reflexes grow less capable. One of the solutions to the problems of old-age driving, IMO, is to have an ultra-simple car (by today's standards) like a Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent, but small, simple cars are usually shunned by the instructors in the over-55 defensive-driving courses. They stress, over and over again, the importance of big, heavy cars with plenty of metal for crash protection....so, of course, what do their "students" do?.....run out and buy big Buicks, Crown Vics, Town Cars, etc..... These cars, by their very nature, are considered upper-class, and generally come with a lot of gadgets. European and Japanese high-line cars like the Lexus LS460, BMW 7-series, Audi A8, Mercedes S-Class, etc......of course, are even more complex.
05-25-07 | 02:28 PM
#14
The elderly shouldn't be allowed on the road in FL, i'm not going to argue why, but if you drove around where I live, you would see why. Perfect example yesterday: I was driving along merrily down the road, *mind you there is construction going on around this road* though no workers were present at the time. Well i get stuck behind this granny who's going 30mph, which i'm not too upset about, because the speed limit, due to the construction, is 35mph. However when we get back up to the main road where the speed limit is back to 45, she continues to go 30mph.....I'm not the most patient person on the road, and sometimes it makes me wonder why people can't just GO the speed limit, and why they must go so much under it. Don't even get me started on when it rains......
05-25-07 | 07:37 PM
#15
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Jewcano, I'll take driving among the FL elderly, anyday, over driving among all the people that have moved here from the northeastern states. Slow driving is always better than ignorant + selfish + inattentive driving.