18 Million Americans Unfit to Drive?
I can be a pretty paranoid driver—I tend to trust other drivers on the road about as far as I can throw them, which isn't much, since you know, cars are heavy and I'm a rather small girl. And, according to second annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, it looks like my paranoia might be justified. 
According to the study, one in eleven American drivers would fail a state drivers test. That's a total of 18 million "unfit" drivers that are on the road with you and I every day. Heck, maybe we are part of that 18 million. And not only does the study indicate that drivers lack adequate knowledge of the rules of the road, it also shows that drivers "exhibit bad behavior behind the wheel."
Among our bad behaviors, U.S. drivers seem to ignore pedestrians (the Institute for Highway Safety reports that one in three drivers usually don't stop for pedestrians, even if they're in a crosswalk or the light turns yellow) and treat drive time as an opportunity to catch up on the things they didn't get done at home or at the office.
The most common driving offenses are:
- Talking on a cell phone [74 percent]
- Eating [62 percent]
- Sending text messages [24 percent]
- Selecting songs on an iPod [20 percent]
- Applying makeup [8 percent]
- Changing clothes [8 percent]
Text messaging? Changing clothes? Oy vey. That's pretty bad. I agree with Gary Kusumi, CEO and president of GMAC Insurance, when he says that the driving rules and laws shouldn't be something you learn once when you pass your first driving test. And I wasn't always one to preach, believe me. I had to take the written drivers test a couple years ago to renew my license and it wasn't easy. I actually had to study! Suffice to say, though, that I'm a better driver because of it.
How drive-savvy are you? Visit your state's Department of Motor Vehicles online and take the practice drivers test. The results might surprise you—but then again, they might make you a better driver. Oh, and safer driving habits may lower your auto insurance down the line, too. :)
[Source]: Insurance Journal
Comments
Thanks for the info, Megan. I'd really encourage readers to take this test; they might be surprised at how little they actually know! I took it myself recently and, although I did pass, I was horrified that I scored only 80%...after 27 years of driving experience! Eee-gad! At least I'm not one of those women who brushes on her mascara or plucks her eyebrows while driving....:)
Posted by: Penny Hagerman | May 31, 2006 10:48 AM
Hey, women aren't the only gender that pluck their eyebrows behind the wheel. Don't discriminate!
Posted by: Peter | May 31, 2006 11:08 AM