One in Five not fit to Drive
 

Saw this today. Scary


Americans don't know rules of the road - Yahoo! Finance

Reading the comments might be interesting...



Americans don't know rules of the road
Charles Riley, On Thursday May 26, 2011, 4:04 pm EDT


More than one in five Americans -- some 36.9 million -- are not fit to drive and would fail a driving test if asked to take one today, according to a new survey of the nation's drivers.

Shocking as that may be, it's actually an improvement. Last year, 38 million received failing grades. Nationwide, the average score this year increased to 77.9% from 76.2% in 2010.

According to GMAC Insurance, which conducted the survey, the results mean that a great number of people on the road still lack basic driving knowledge, an ignorance that leads to dangerous driving habits.

For example, a full 85% of those surveyed could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light.

And only one in four knew safe following distances.

But, the survey suggests, you can avoid some of these drivers if you know what to look for: Young people, women and motorists who live in the Northeast.

Twenty-seven percent of women failed the test, while males had a failure rate of 13.6%. The oldest drivers tested -- ages 60 to 65 -- had the highest average test scores at 80.3%.

Drivers in the Northeast scored lowest, while respondents in the Midwest fared best. The worst place, no surprise to anyone who drives there, is Washington, D.C.

Wyoming, where less than 5% of the population failed the test, took home the top prize for states.

The annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers test polled 5,130 licensed drivers from 50 states and the District of Columbia with a 20-question test derived from state department of motor vehicles exams.

As a motorcyclist, this comes as no surprise.

Take the test and post your results

GMAC Insurance - National Drivers Test

Honestly, I suspect their numbers are wrong. I'd be surprised if 4/5 of drivers could pass the test.

95%
Stupid fog lights.

95%, *****es!
I've never seen a steady yellow light before - I had no idea what to do. Too bad they didn't list "Blare horn and burn donuts thru the intersection" as an option. I'd have much rather failed choosing that.

HAH! +1 SmileWavy

Randy

85%, erring on the side of caution.

You may pass on the right of another vehicle when:

When traveling on a multi-lane highway carrying two or more lanes of traffic in the same direction

>> My answer The other vehicle is making or about to make a left turn, when a lane is provided to pass on the right

>>actual answer Both answers are correct
(What happened to no passing on the right?)

--------------

When you are merging onto the freeway, you should be driving:
>>actual answer At or near the same speed as the traffic on the freeway

5 to 10 miles per hour slower than the traffic on the freeway

>>my answer The posted speed limit for traffic on the freeway

(traveling under "near" the speed limit could cause others to have to slow down.)

------------------

When you approach a traffic signal displaying a steady yellow light, you must: Go through the intersection before it turns red

>> actual answer Stop if it is safe to do so

>> my answer Be prepared to stop

Slow down and proceed with caution

(I gave my answer because the person behind me most likely will not want to stop for a yellow light. During Driver's Ed, we were taught "Be prepared to stop")

Hmmm...older drivers fared/tested better? Interesting. Flies in the face of the "old drivers are dangerous" line of thinking. I'm nearing my 68th birthday.

BTW..."You scored: 100%" Also, I definitely unclicked the box asking for info on GMAC insurance.

Boy do I ever agree on the fog lights...hate folks who use them when it's not foggy. One reason I wanted a Bullitt model...no fog lights cluttering the grille.

95%

I missed the triangle sign thingy.

I think the no passing on the right thing is primarily directed towards roads with a single lane going each direction. They don't want you to pass on the shoulder or off of the road. If there's a lane, it's different.

Merge at or near the speed of traffic. The "gotcha" with your answer of "the speed limit" is that you are screwed if the traffic is going slower than the speed limit because of traffic, weather, etc.....

I scored 100%. The yellow light question was close, but I think that you're supposed to stop if you can. If you're going to be rear-ended, the. You can't stop safely.

That's because the sign was a diamond. ;)

You maybe didn't think of those traffic jam situations where one lane goes faster, then the other? To not "pass on the right" then would jam things up even more.
I did consider it a "trick question" though...

Knowing the rules doesn't necessarily mean you can perform better. You may know the rules of basketball, soccer or football better than a youngster, but that doesn't mean that you should square off wi them on the playing field. There are of course always exceptions.

85%...WTF....i thought i aced it. shows you how much i know. lol

Ouch!

apples & oranges...sure, overall, I'll give youth quicker reflexes, more strength, & better eyesight...but that doesn't translate to the young being safer drivers in real traffic conditions. I think that is what the test was about...

One of the scariest drivers to me? A young female, hair usually tied in a ponytail, driving a japanese pocket rocket like she's trying to qualify for Indy...

I got one wrong too. Signal 100 feet before the turn, I put 50.

LOL, 100% but it's only been 3 years since I got the last kid through drivers ed.

Like I've always said:

Lady drivers? No survivors.

I think the problem is the definitions of old and young. Anyone under 20 is going to suck. Mostly because of lack of experience and judgement. Well, there may be a few exceptions.

Old folks in their 70s and 80s that can barely walk and move like snails are going to be dangerous. There are plenty of older folks 60s and up who still have clear minds and relatively fit bodies. They won't be a problem.

The two big problems that I see are:

For young folks, their is no substitute or magic pill to fix lack of experience.

For older folks who have started to show lots of decrease of physical and/or mental fitness, they don't want to give up their freedom, and our society often doesn't support them the way some other societies do. Getting the keys away from someone that's older and shouldn't be driving is a lot like getting the keys away from a drunk. Often, they are willing to fight about it. Also being without will require some sort of support which can be difficult and/or expensive.

Which would be very inadequate on a road with a 55 mph speed limit.

Anyone driving a Mustang automatically sucks at the driving. ;)

i think i got 85% 28yrs ago...i scored a 90% this time...i guess with age does come knowledge.

I agree w/ the above. I'm on my second round of this with my dad. His doctor sent a form to the state pulling his license for dementia. The fighting was so bad we asked his doctor to let him take the drivers tests again. We all thought he'd never pass and that would give us ammo to take the car. Somehow he passed both the written and the behind the wheel. It did take him 2 tries for each with the second "written" being an oral question session rather than computerized. We asked how many tries people get before they say no more, Five :eek: He got lost for 24hrs the week before Thanksgiving so the car and keys are now 20 miles away from him. He is in senior housing with a van service to shopping, etc which he refuses to use. My sister and I take turns running errands for him and taking him out on excursions. We continue to fight about the car (think cold, dead fingers stubborn) to the point he was so mad last Friday he told me he hated me. Mom was much easier. She said, I can't see well at night anymore let's sell my car.

I got 95%. I think several of the questions could be written better.

Nope. Wimmins fail twice as often because they take the test twice...

"Oh, I failed! After seeing all of the answers I bet I can get them right this time!"

...30 seconds later...

"Oh, I failed again!"

:blondemoment:

That's a good point. I was assuming they meant the distance for in-town driving, which makes most sense from the way they worded the question. The right answer for safe driving is measured in seconds instead of feet, anyway. In town, the best way to signal is to start signaling once you've passed the last turn before the one you want to take.

Yes, I haven't had to deal with it myself, but I've seen several folks who have dealt with it. It can be very difficult and hard on the folks emotionally.

My wife's grandmother was difficult. Actually, I think they never got the keys out of her hands, but she was only an issue for a short period as she had cancer and went fairly fast.

I'm really glad, my mother just retired and moved to live a few houses down from my grandmother. My mother wasn't sure how to broach the subject of being my granny's chauffer. The funny thing is that my granny wasn't sure how to ask my mother if she would be willing to drive her around. My grandmother was overjoyed to sell off the car and rely on someone else. I think it's because she's fit and sharp at 85, but doesn't trust herself or even more so the other old folks roaming around South Florida. We got lucky. Many don't.

Yep, seconds is better than feet. How far back I signal definitely depends upon where I am and the traffic conditions.

80%. I answered the "yellow light" questions differently, and got them both wrong. Oh well, still passed.

That's the one I missed. (And I thing they're wrong)

Unless you're in a Porsche. ;)

Steady yellow is what a stop light shows between green and red. It is supposed to mean "stop before entering the intersection if you can do so safely". Most people take it as their cue to speed up to get through the intersection before the yellow turns to red.

95%.

I gave 10 seconds for following distance. I still really don't think that 3 seconds is a safe following distance, especially considering the nationwide results on this test. :) Actually 3 seconds isn't a distance at all. :rolleyes: You take one second to react - on a good day. At 60 mph you will be traveling 88 feet per seconds. Good luck stopping your non Porsche vehicle on 176 feet of road. Here in Socal this usually means a beat to hell interstate and a large SUV ...

Anyway, I am not surprised people aren't fit to drive. I am really worried about the distraction of the handhelds and other devices in the car. Often I go 70 mph on the interstate and see the person behind me following at about 1 second, looking up every 3 seconds from their lap while texting. I get the hell out of their way ASAP ...

George

This isn't quite the way to look at it. The minimum distance is closer to How many seconds do I need to keep in order to react to the leading vehicle's and out brake them. The only time you need to keep enough room to go from current speed to 0 between you and the car in front of you is if you're expecting them to go from the current speed to 0 instantly. On the freeway, this is exceedingly rare.

The solution is simple...once someone reaches 65, off to the euthanasia palace they go. This solves the old age entitlement federal budget problem and makes our our roads 100% accident free at the same time. Thus, no need for traffic cops...:rolleyes:

(shoulda used green..oh well.)

Soylent green, baby!!!

I wonder though, what the pass/fail compared to accident rate is...

I got 85%. Missed:

1. Diamond Yellow sign: I read the sign and know what it means, not the "shape"

2. Passing on the right. It was "both" though I diagree with passing on the right on the highway. Not what any of us have been taught

3. Steady Yellow: Be prepared to stop is the same thing as "stop if safe" if you are an intelligent person.

95%. Some questions are more "State specific", such as passing on right.. On a highway in MD its completely legal. On a highway in NJ, its completely ILLegal (or it was at the time I got my license in each state)

I got mixed up at the "steady yellow at a traffic light".. i figured slow down and proceed with caution... "they" said to "stop and only proceed if safe to do so"... seems the same to me. If my "caution" told me it wasn't safe, I would stop. But it seems stopping at a yellow would cause me to get rear ended by a 20 y/o on the phone whil driving his modded mustang ;)

For a woman, I scored a 90. I passed my first test with written 100%/driving 76. I missed the bus and fog light questions on this new test.