New York – New York drivers are the worst in the nation for a second straight year and neighboring New Jersey motorists are almost as bad, according to a test by GMAC Insurance Personal Lines on rules-of-the-road knowledge.
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The national average for the test was 76.2%, with below 70 considered failing, according to a statement today from GMAC Insurance, the carrier that American Capital Acquisition Corp. bought from GMAC Inc. New York drivers scored an average of 70%, and New Jersey motorists averaged 70.5%. Motorists from Kansas ranked first, with an average score of 82.3%.
Applying the test results nationally, almost 20% of licensed drivers, or about 38 million motorists, “may be unfit for roads” and wouldn’t pass a state-issued written exam if taken today, the study said. The national test average fell from 76.6% in 2009, and 78.1% in 2008.
“It’s discouraging to see that overall average test scores are lower,” Wade Bontrager, a senior vice president at the company said in a statement. “American drivers need to make safety a top priority and be aware of the rules of the road.”
The test, which consists of 20 questions pulled from state Department of Motor Vehicle exams, was taken by 5,202 licensed drivers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Washington D.C. motorists were third from the bottom, with an average score of 71.9%.
New Jersey also scored second from the bottom last year. Idaho and Wisconsin tied for first last year. Connecticut ranked No. 34 this year, with an average score of 76.3.
Nationally, 15% of drivers knew the correct answer to what to do at a traffic light with a steady yellow signal — stop if it is safe to do so — according to the study. About 25% of participants admitted to driving while talking on mobile phones, eating and adjusting the radio or selecting songs on an iPod.
The frequency and severity of accidents is also correlated with driver speeds, seat-belt usage, and the quality of roads and cars, factors not measured in the survey. The latest fatality study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows New York’s rate for every 100 million miles traveled is 0.92, better than the national average of 1.25, according to 2008 statistics.
Drivers in the Northeast had a failure rate of 25.1%, the highest in the nation. Motorists in the Midwest had the lowest rate, which was 11.9%.
I’ve been thinking for years that New Yorkers tend to drive as fast as they deem is safe unless they think there’s a good chance of getting caught. New Jerseyers are almost as good, but once you leave this area of the country, the driving just gets weird.
The news about seat belt usage and accident rates are discouraging, though. I thought people KNOW the rules, they just apply them selectively.
Wonder what the written test is?
You don’t have to spend thousands for a survey when its obvious
Like we really needed to waste money on a study….NY drivers are rude and aggressive
That’s no surprise. I’ve driven all over the country. Yes, NY and NJ drivers are terrible. They’re rude, unsafe and don’t give a darn about traffic laws.
Yeah, it’s not a problem of people not knowing the law, but of people ignoring the law.
Study is incorrect about the conclusion. Just because we don’t know the rules does not make us unfit. It’s safety which counts, and apparently NY has a lower fatality than elsewhere shows how incorrect the conclusion.
the new york drivers are the best. i wonder if drivers from other states would be able to drive the FDR
B”H we are not laid back
“The latest fatality study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows New York’s rate for every 100 million miles traveled is 0.92, better than the national average of 1.25, according to 2008 statistics. “
I would think that the above quote sums it up by stating that NY drivers might be rude but they are at least from the safer ones in the country! I would rather have a safe rude driver than an unsafe nice guy!!!
Unfortunately, there should be a psychological test done to anyone taking a road test.
Another issue is road tests are giving after a few lessons. Being able to drive and knowing how to drive are two different things.
There are still too many drivers focusing on such as talking on the phone or eating rather than the driving. I walked home today and got run over almost twice. Once was someone wanting to make the light which was already red ( i crossed in the green) and the other turning too close to the curb while i was crossing(yes he had the green but so did i and pedestrians go first).
Often wonder if age demographics don’t come into play with this. Could it also be that there are a higher percentage of younger, and perhaps more aggressive, drivers?
New Yorkers are the nastiest, worst, noisest, drivers anywhere! They curse at you when their at fault. They cut you off and flip you the finger. They run you off the road. Just terrible. When they come to Florida they cause havoc on our roads. Hay New Yorkers. Stay Home.
well i live in nj and every time i have gone to ny, the drivers are horrible… but i havent noticed that nj drivers were bad but it must be because i deal with them everyday