What do you do when approaching a yellow light?
A. Speed up to make the light.
B. Slow down to a steady stop.
C. Roll through the light at a leisurely pace.
Hopefully you know the right answer (B) but 84% of American’s do not know the right answer will probably practice either A or C.
GMAC Insurance issued a National Drivers Test to 5,524 drivers across the 50 states and Washington D.C, which led to the discovery that 33 million Americans would fail a driving test if taken today. Out of all 50 states, New Jersey came in last place and Kansas in first.
Washington D.C, New York, and Massachusetts were also some of the lower ranked states so what’s up North East? Why are you guys so bad at driving?
Wade Bontrager, senior vice president of GMAC Insurance, believes that drivers in urban areas have more distractions while driving and don’t drive so often since they use more public transportation but considering DC, New York, and New Jersey have continuously competed for last place three years in a row it’s probably time for a mandatory Defensive Driving class or two.
And with an average high score of 81% it seems the peaceful plains of the Midwest are looking better and better for your next road trip.
While the test might encourage you to buy insurance in some of the lower ranked states (ahem, New Jersey) the fact that most Americans lack knowledge in basic road rules is very alarming. The good news is, the older you get the better driver you’ll become, at least according to GMAC.
GMAC also discovered a few other interesting statistic regarding drivers:
– Men are slightly better drivers than women.
– 1 in 4 drivers admitted to distracting behavior (using the iPod, putting on makeup, eating) while driving.
-But thankfully almost all of population knows what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches.
The important thing to take away from the GMAC study is that there’s definite room for improvement. Be aware of your driving behavior and keep an eye on the road, because even if you’re a great driver chances are the people around are not.
GMAC has put the test online at www.gmacinsurnace.com for the public to test their driving skills (or lack thereof!). If anything, the test will help you brush on basic information and maybe even teach you some driving facts you never even knew.
State Rankings of the Best and Worst Drivers:
1 KS†¨
2 WY
3 NE†¨
3 ID†¨
4 MN†¨
5 AK†¨
6 SD†¨
7 OR
8 IA†¨
9 WA†¨
11 IN†¨
12 WI
13 UT†¨
14 MO†¨
15 AL†¨
15 CO†¨
15 MT†¨
18 MI†¨
18 TX†¨
18 VT†¨
21 ND†¨
22 AR†¨
22 NC†¨
22 NM†¨
22 OK†¨
26 DE†¨
26 OH†¨
28 FL†¨
29 KY†¨
30 NH†¨
31 ME†¨
32 IL†¨
33 CA†¨
33 CT†¨
33 TN†¨
36 AZ†¨
36 NV†¨
36 PA†¨
39 SC†¨
40 VA†¨
41 RI
42 MD†¨
43 WV†¨
44 LA†¨
45 HI†¨
46 MS†¨
47 GA†¨
48 MA†¨
49 NY†¨
50 DC†¨
51 NJ