The Nation's Dumbest Drivers

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

mish

Washing Up
Joined
Oct 4, 2004
Messages
4,355
Make it a safe Memorial Day Weekend

The Nation's Dumbest Drivers Live Here

Beware the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states! The nation's dumbest drivers live there if the GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test is right. The startling results: Nearly 20 million Americans--that would be one in 10 drivers--would fail their state driver's test if they had to take it today.

In addition to surveying them about their general driving habits, GMAC gave its 20-question test to more than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65. Those who live in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states did the worst with 20 percent failing the test. And of these states, Rhode Island scored the lowest with an average test score of 77 percent, just barely above a failing grade of 70 percent. On the other hand, the most knowledgeable drivers live in Oregon with an average score of 89 percent, followed by Washington, Iowa, Idaho, and Wyoming.

And that's not even the scariest part of the survey. The results also suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices troublesome, 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 of drivers (57 million) who drink admitted they would knowingly drive while over the legal limit "if they felt okay."

General driving safety knowledge: Where Americans are most lacking is...
--Drivers 18 to 24 years old are most likely to fail a written driving test (78 percent passing rate); drivers 50 to 64 years are most likely to pass (85 percent passing rate).
--Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the least knowledgeable; one in five were unable to pass the written drivers test.
--Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes are the most knowledgeable with a failure rate of just 1 to 3 percent.
--At least one out of five 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.

Keep reading...if you dare:
--One out of three drivers claim to speed up to make a yellow light even when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.
--One out of four drivers would roll through a stop sign rather than come to a complete stop.
--Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the most likely to speed.
--Nebraska's drivers are least likely to exceed the speed limit.
 
i absolutely agree, except that florida's gotta be up there too. actually, i guess most floridians are just transplanted new yorkers anyway.

it's fun to watch cars from distant states try to read the 500 road signs that indicate the various highways coming off the george washington bridge, and they have to figure them out within a few seconds at 60mph...
(did you know that the lower level of the bridge is called martha wasington?)

wasn't gb going to go for a road trip in his new car. stay away from rhode island. too many people drinking pawtucket patriots behind the wheel...
 
George & Martha could probably use a little "bridge" work by now.

So. Californians would have failed the test, had they included drive-by freeway shooting etiquette questions.
 
and they get their license's HOW ??? i don't know if they still do this but my ex step-sister failed her test 4 times before they gave up and just let her have it :shock: . she had her license not even one week and totalled her mom's car.
 
Last edited:
Eeeek, Middie. Sorry to hear about the accident. Hope everyone was okay.

On a lighter note, re the written test... One of the funniest scenes in a sitcom, I still laugh about was on the show "Taxi." Anyone remember Jim's written DMV test?

Jim: "What....does....a....yel-looow....light mean?"

Bobby: "SLOW DOWN, Jim."

(Repeat Jim's line 10x slower each time.)

********
A long time ago, a girl in my office told me she took the written test into the ladies room - with the handbook. She scored 100%
Swap your driving/DMV stories here. :)
 
mish said:
So. Californians would have failed the test, had they included drive-by freeway shooting etiquette questions.

Seems like they would know more about freeway etiquette (including AVOIDANCE of lead projectiles) than anyone else in the country.
 
The Z said:
Seems like they would know more about freeway etiquette (including AVOIDANCE of lead projectiles) than anyone else in the country.

Only when they forget to say "Have a nice Day."
 
mish said:
Sushi, that's what we call the California roll. :LOL:

My husband got stopped once for not coming to a complete stop, the cop ask him if he was aware that he made a california stop and my smarta$$ dh had to pop off, I don't know, I've never been to california, man, that cop was TICKED OFF!! He got a $150 ticket.

BTW, any of you been to Texas lately... whew, I don't like driving out of my town at all. Road rage get's bad. There are some pretty dumb drivers here too. Must have gotten the license from a crackerjack box:LOL:
 
mish said:
One of the funniest scenes in a sitcom, I still laugh about was on the show "Taxi." Anyone remember Jim's written DMV test?

Jim: "What....does....a....yel-looow....light mean?"

Bobby: "SLOW DOWN, Jim."

(Repeat Jim's line 10x slower each time.)

********
:)

mish, that is one of the funniest moments on tv of all time. i cry laughing every time i get to see that episode.
 
Back
Top Bottom