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May 24, 2007
36 Million Licensed Americans Unfit To Drive According to GMAC Insurance Study : GlobalGiants.com
Failure Rates Double in 3rd Annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test.
ST. LOUIS, May 24 -- Results from the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test indicate 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.
"All Americans need a refresher course when it comes to basic driving rules," said Gary Kusumi, CEO and president, GMAC Insurance - Personal Lines. "Being a safe driver is about conduct, judgment and knowledge. We're hoping this year's results encourage people to arm themselves with the knowledge they need to stay safe." |GlobalGiants.com|
According to this year's 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 was 77.1 percent, New Yorkers had an average of 71 percent and the highest failure rates (36 percent); 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.
Points of interest drawn from the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test 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 (55 percent) don't know how many feet to
signal before making right or left turns.
• More than 2 in 5 drivers (46 percent) are unaware of the meaning of a
diamond-shaped sign (warning sign).
• Fortunately, nearly all respondents (98 percent) 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.
Survey Says: Geography Means Everything
• Illinois, Georgia, DC, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode
Island and Massachusetts were the least knowledgeable states overall,
with average scores lower than 75 percent.
• Idaho and Alaska were the most knowledgeable, with average scores over
81 percent.
• Regions displaying the highest failure rates were the South Atlantic
(20.8 percent) and New England (15.7 percent).
Where are the most knowledgeable drivers in the nation? The following is a complete list of state rankings for the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test.
1 ID ....... 18 MO ....... 33 FL
2 AK ....... 19 DE ....... 36 ME
3 MN ....... 19 NV ....... 37 NH
4 WI ....... 21 VT ....... 37 MS
5 KS ....... 22 CA ....... 37 TN
6 WA ....... 23 HI ....... 40 CT
7 SD ....... 24 TX ....... 41 VA
8 MT ....... 25 MD ....... 41 LA
9 OR ....... 25 AL ....... 43 WV
10 IA ....... 27 AR ....... 44 GA
11 NE ....... 28 MI ....... 45 IL
12 WY ....... 29 KY ....... 46 PA
13 OK ....... 30 UT ....... 47 RI
13 IN ....... 31 OH ....... 48 MA
13 NC ....... 31 CO ....... 48 DC
16 NM ....... 33 SC ....... 48 NJ
17 ND ....... 33 AZ ....... 51 NY
The test was administered by TNS, a major market information resource and provider of custom research and analysis. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 10:55 AM | Link to this Post
