States With The Dumbest Drivers

[grunt]

The dumbest drivers in the US.... ..are from the East coast!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/05/26...tudy/index.html

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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - When faced with a written test, similar to ones given to beginning drivers applying for licenses, one in ten drivers couldn't get a passing score, according to a study commissioned by GMAC Insurance.

The GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test found that nearly 20 million Americans, or about 1 in 10 drivers, would fail a state driver's test if they had to take one today. GMAC Insurance is part of General Motors' finance subsidiary, GMAC.

More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65 were administered a 20-question written test designed to measure basic knowledge about traffic laws and safety. They were also surveyed about their general driving habits.

Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did worst. Twenty percent of test-takers failed there.

The state of Rhode Island leads the nation in driver cluelessness, according to the survey. The average test score there was 77, just eight points above a failing grade.

Those in neighboring Massachusetts were second worst and New Jersey, third worst.

Northwestern states had the most knowledgeable drivers. In those states, just one to three percent failed the test. Oregon and Washington drivers knew the rules of the road best. In Oregon, the average test score was 89.

According to the study, many drivers find basic practices, such as merging and interpreting road signs, difficult.

For instance, one out of five drivers doesn't know that a pedestrian in a crosswalk has the right of way, and one out of three drivers speeds up to make a yellow light, even when pedestrians are present, the study said.

Drivers not only lack basic road knowledge, but exhibit dangerous driving behavior as well.

"As a nation of drivers, we've made little progress in the past 10 years to curb some of the most dangerous driving behaviors, including drinking and driving and speeding," said Susan Ferguson, senior vice president of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

One out of 10 drivers regularly exceeds the speed limit by 11 or more miles per hour, with drivers aged between 18 and 24 years showing the greatest propensity for speeding, the study said.

Speeding increases both the likelihood of an accident and the severity of the crash, the company added, citing research from IIHS.

Younger drivers are the most likely to fail a written driving test while those between the ages of 50 and 64 are the most likely to pass.

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[trikebubble]

Quote: Washington drivers knew the rules of the road best.
I'd reckon it's the hourly caffiene fix from Starbucks that keeps them on top.

Quote: Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did worst. Twenty percent of test-takers failed there.
And I am glad to be about as far away from there as I possibly can. (Unfortunately, I have to contend with a myriad of Albertan touristas in motorhomes that don't know how to go around a corner)

[Spok]

Originally Posted by trikebubble

Quote: Washington drivers knew the rules of the road best.
I'd reckon it's the hourly caffiene fix from Starbucks that keeps them on top.

Quote: Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did worst. Twenty percent of test-takers failed there.
And I am glad to be about as far away from there as I possibly can. (Unfortunately, I have to contend with a myriad of Albertan touristas in motorhomes that don't know how to go around a corner)

to be honest, I am quite suprised about the "quality" of the wash/oregon drivers...i've seen some pretty clueless drivers of late.

[trikebubble]

clueless is as clueless does? is that how it goes? lol

[Green Knight]

The funiest thing about this is that you're average person "should" be able to pass the writen test using common sence and curtisy twards their fellow man. It doesn't mean that have to drive safe they could atleast write down the correct answer... The scariest part about this is that all those really bad drivers think their are doing it the right way...

[Lee_2061]

Any state that has the most SUV/Volvo drivers.

[Nate]

Y'all got nothing on this place whereupon the umpteenth time I saw someone blow a stop sign I was moved to utter, "Marysville, where the street signs are merely a suggestion!"

Back in the early nineties when I received an Oklahoma drivers license, I was told by a co-worker that I had a license to be stupid!

[Lee_2061]

Originally Posted by Nate

Y'all got nothing on this place whereupon the umpteenth time I saw someone blow a stop sign I was moved to utter, "Marysville, where the street signs are merely a suggestion!"

Back in the early nineties when I received an Oklahoma drivers license, I was told by a co-worker that I had a license to be stupid!

LOL. That's funny. Thanks.

[rbentnail]

According to the study, many drivers find basic practices, such as merging and interpreting road signs, difficult.

So, basically, not being able to read, or interpret what you read, and having no sense of timing or coordination makes you a bad driver?

Funny, but no mention of the use of turnsignals and the lack thereof......

[JTpaintball70]

I wonder if they even bothered to come out here and check NM... heck most of the people here can't even read or speak english! honestly, I think we have the worst drivers in the country!

[Lee_2061]

Who examines the driving examiners?
Wouldn't it be scandalaous if someone traced it all back to one blind and illiterate licence tester?

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Lee_2061

Who examines the driving examiners?
Wouldn't it be scandalaous if someone traced it all back to one blind and illiterate licence tester?

I think you nailed it, Lee. Around here the examiners are just government bureaucrats who just check the answers of the open-book written test the applicant has filled out, perform a basic eye exam, and then issue the paperwork. Not an expert in the bunch.

[2WheelFun]

I know of 2 Northwest "riders" who can handle a motorcycle pretty darn well. Riding with Carlo and David helped me to decide to stay where I am at so I don't have to suffer from the bad drivers that were indicated by the original post.

[grunt]

Originally Posted by JTpaintball70

I wonder if they even bothered to come out here and check NM... heck most of the people here can't even read or speak english! honestly, I think we have the worst drivers in the country!

Here is the list. 29. New Mexico -- 82.9

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

[grunt]

Originally Posted by whistle clean

I know of 2 Northwest "riders" who can handle a motorcycle pretty darn well. Riding with Carlo and David helped me to decide to stay where I am at so I don't have to suffer from the bad drivers that were indicated by the original post.

Riding in my area is scary.

Most drivers think;

1. Right turn on red means you don't have to yield to oncomming traffic.
2. You don't have to yield getting on the interstate if you can get thier first.

I've seen cars pass ambulances and emergency vehicles on the interstate.

[2WheelFun]

Originally Posted by grunt

Riding in my area is scary.

Most drivers think;

1. Right turn on red means you don't have to yield to oncomming traffic.
2. You don't have to yield getting on the interstate if you can get thier first.

I've seen cars pass ambulances and emergency vehicles on the interstate.

That's pathetic! It appears that courtesy and respect have gone by the wayside with some drivers and in bigger cities it becomes contagious...and in some cases results in road rage.

Grunt...where do you live?

[jukief]

Geeze, it's a relief to know that the states we'll be riding through in July are at the top of the list. LOL

Colorado is right in the middle, but I don't think our drivers here are very good. (I blame it on the transplants, not the native Coloradoans like me. )

I found Oregon drivers to be very couteous but on the timid side. They used to drive my husband crazy (he lived there for 17 years), but then he learned to drive in New York and lived in Massachusetts for a while, so how's he supposed to know? hee hee

[snickerdoodle]

Hmmm, it's hard for me to believe that AZ is in the middle of the pack...sort of. Every morning we listen to the radio and here the traffic report. There is almost always at least one fatal accident, and probably 7 or 8 accidents, alot of which are ROLLOVERS! How the heck do you roll-over your vehicle in traffic...beats me!

[RampRat]

Originally Posted by jukief

Geeze, it's a relief to know that the states we'll be riding through in July are at the top of the list. LOL

Colorado is right in the middle, but I don't think our drivers here are very good. (I blame it on the transplants, not the native Coloradoans like me. )

I found Oregon drivers to be very couteous but on the timid side. They used to drive my husband crazy (he lived there for 17 years), but then he learned to drive in New York and lived in Massachusetts for a while, so how's he supposed to know? hee hee

Glad to see this place is in the top 5

Julie, while I always make fun of how bad greenies drive, the vast majority of ones I've talked to are all transplants fron Kali or other wacko driving places

[Fixion]

I lived in Oregon for a greater part of my life, after moving to missouri I was shocked at how people drive here. Do people here know what a turn signal is ? At least the higher speed limits and fewer cops make up for that .