New York Drivers Are Most 'Unfit' in U.S.

[Jenn! 918]

May 27 (Bloomberg) -- New York drivers are the least knowledgeable in the nation for a second straight year on rules of the road and neighboring New Jersey motorists are almost as bad, according to a study by an insurance company.

The national average for the test was 76.2 percent, 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 percent, and New Jersey motorists averaged 70.5 percent. Kansas drivers ranked first, with an average score of 82.3 percent.

Applying the test results nationally, almost 20 percent 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 percent in 2009, and 78.1 percent in 2008.

"What we have seen pretty typically is obviously New York and New Jersey do poorly, and those areas that have really large urban population centers," Wade Bontrager, senior vice president of marketing at Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based GMAC Insurance, said in an interview. "You have people that drive in an area that's much more congested, much more fast- paced, and the rules of the road aren't quite as top of the mind as somebody driving at a little slower pace."

The test of 20 questions 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 percent. Connecticut ranked No. 34 this year, with an average score of 76.3.

Driving in Manhattan

New Jersey also scored second from the bottom last year. Idaho and Wisconsin tied for first last year.

"I don't think anywhere in the Midwest they have driving like you see in New York City as far as the volume of cars to people, with jaywalking and traffic," said Kenneth Halperin, a lawyer at the personal-injury firm Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro in New York. "When you're cruising at 60 on an open country road, it's a hell of a lot different than driving in Manhattan."

Nationally, 15 percent 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 percent of participants admitted to driving while talking on mobile phones, eating and adjusting the radio or selecting songs on an iPod.

The aggressive nature of driving in cities can lead to wrong answers on the test, Bontrager said.

Highway Fatalities

"You think about the questions that were missed, like what is a safe following distance," he said. "The answer to that is three seconds. You're not going to get to follow three seconds behind a car if you're in Manhattan, you're going to get run over if you're doing that."

The frequency and severity of accidents are also correlated with driver speeds, seat-belt usage, and the quality of roads and cars, factors not measured in the insurance company study. The latest fatality study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows New York state'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 percent, the highest in the nation. Motorists in the Midwest had the lowest rate, 11.9 percent. Males received higher scores than females, averaging 78.1 percent versus 74.4 percent.

"Our whole point to this thing is, people need to know the rules of the road, even if the conditions make it more challenging to follow those rules," Bontrager said. "Every year I get threatened to get beat up by New York and New Jersey people but it is what it is."

http://www.businessw...s-update2-.html

Edited June 1, 2010 by Jenn!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I notice a big difference between the way people drive on weekends compared to weekday commuters.

[IndigoSkies 168]

What more do you need to know to drive a cab beside how to drive a cab and to get where you want to go to?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Males received higher scores than females, averaging 78.1 percent versus 74.4 percent.

That confirms what I always say: women should not be allowed behind the wheel.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

That confirms what I always say: women should not be allowed behind the wheel.

:bonk: the point-difference was not that large in the first-place--and I guess you would rather die than be taken to hospital by ambulance whose driver is female.

No surprise that "big rotten apple" has most-rotten drivers!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

That confirms what I always say: women should not be allowed behind the wheel.

[thongd4me 69]

We were in nearby Poconos PA yesterday and while stopped at a light in a rural town

(albeit a "touristic" one) as soon as the light turned green the Noo-Yawkers started

leaning on their horns. My Thai wife was dumfounded (Thailand is famous for much

heavier traffic than NYC at it's worst and Thais are very patient with gridlock).

If you send these guys to Thailand they'd be doing the same thing...

[Saddle Bronc 124]

We were in nearby Poconos PA yesterday and while stopped at a light in a rural town

(albeit a "touristic" one) as soon as the light turned green the Noo-Yawkers started

leaning on their horns. My Thai wife was dumfounded (Thailand is famous for much

heavier traffic than NYC at it's worst and Thais are very patient with gridlock).

If you send these guys to Thailand they'd be doing the same thing...

Do Thai drivers have a mentality anywhere similar to those of Indian (on home shores) ones? How about send them (NYC'ers) to Delhi and give them either Marutis (copy of Suzuki with foil-like body-shell) or scooters? (they'll learn quickly enough NOT to honk at lorries/busses that way).

[rsn 135]

Do Thai drivers have a mentality anywhere similar to those of Indian (on home shores) ones? How about send them (NYC'ers) to Delhi and give them either Marutis (copy of Suzuki with foil-like body-shell) or scooters? (they'll learn quickly enough NOT to honk at lorries/busses that way).

They don't honk in Thailand. They don't have to, there really aren't any traffic laws. At least, no one follows them. All lanes are bumper-to-bumper? Drive on the shoulder, or on the sidewalk. Driving on a two-lane highway and want to pass the driver in front of you with a semi approaching in the opposite direction? No problem, you'll make it by a few inches! Light red but you have to be somewhere? Go ahead and blow right through it! Thailand is an especially dangerous place to drive if you are not familiar with the driving "customs" over there.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I notice a big difference between the way people drive on weekends compared to weekday commuters.

When I commuted I did. We are like machines, the pace is faster and everyone is more n sync on commuting times.

Edited June 1, 2010 by Sousuke

[Nikita2Charles 32]

Driving in NY is an art

Every tried driving in Manhattan hmm on any of the Major avenues, or if you really want challenging driving Take a stroll down Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn dodging those $ van, , then I will know your skill set

Edited June 1, 2010 by Nikita2Charles

[Saddle Bronc 124]

They don't honk in Thailand. They don't have to, there really aren't any traffic laws. At least, no one follows them. All lanes are bumper-to-bumper? Drive on the shoulder, or on the sidewalk. Driving on a two-lane highway and want to pass the driver in front of you with a semi approaching in the opposite direction? No problem, you'll make it by a few inches! Light red but you have to be somewhere? Go ahead and blow right through it! Thailand is an especially dangerous place to drive if you are not familiar with the driving "customs" over there.

Piece of dosai for "average" Delhi driver (India road rules--in practice nonexistant¹ just as you say is the case in Bangkok, but Indian drivers DO honk lots, such that it was a popular saying about the then-ubiquitous Ambassador² that "everything makes noise except horn" ).

1. from 1961 to 1989, Delhi had highest accident rate (for the number of vehicles) in the world--more recently, it's been displaced by Bengaluru
2. copy of 1956 Morris Oxford; from 1956 to 1983, one of only 2 models generally available (the other being Premier Auto's copy of Fiat Millicento)--though now much lower in popularity, it is STILL in production

[Otto 83]

I was curious about the rest of the scores and found this. (Kansas was first/top)

[john & jean 37]

Come to East Texas when it snows good thing it is an occasional occurrence! like every five years or more

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Come down to the Sunshine State. Between old folk, tourists and texting teens, this is as close to a nightmare for drivers as I've seen. And yes, I drove in NYC which wasn't exactly a pleasure either.