GMAC Insurance has released the results of its National Drivers Test for 2009. The test, which measures basic knowledge of driving laws, was given to more than 5,000 drivers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia — and Iowa is near the top of the list.
State Rankings; note: Many states tied for the same position in the rankings.
- 1 IDAHO
- 1 WISCONSIN
- 3 MONTANA
- 4 KANSAS
- 5 SOUTH DAKOTA
- 5 NEBRASKA
- 7 UTAH
- 8 WYOMING
- 8 IOWA
- 8 OREGON
- 8 MINNESOTA
- 12 ALASKA
- 12 NORTH DAKOTA
- 14 VERMONT
- 15 COLORADO
- 15 MISSOURI
- 17 OKLAHOMA
- 17 WASHINGTON
- 19 NEW MEXICO
- 20 NORTH CAROLINA
- 21 VIRGINIA
- 22 INDIANA
- 22 MICHIGAN
- 24 ARKANSAS
- 24 TEXAS
- 26 ALABAMA
- 26 NEVADA
- 28 WEST VIRGINIA
- 29 ILLINOIS
- 30 ARIZONA
- 31 MAINE
- 32 DELAWARE
- 33 NEW HAMPSHIRE
- 34 OHIO
- 35 KENTUCKY
- 36 PENNSYLVANIA
- 37 LOUISIANA
- 38 TENNESSEE
- 38 MISSISSIPPI
- 40 SOUTH CAROLINA
- 40 MARYLAND
- 42 CONNECTICUT
- 43 FLORIDA
- 44 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- 45 MASSACHUSETTS
- 46 RHODE ISLAND
- 47 GEORGIA
- 48 CALIFORNIA
- 49 HAWAII
- 50 NEW JERSEY
- 51 NEW YORK
Notice that with the exception of Oregon and Washington state, all of the states currently banning cell phone usage for drivers (California, Connecticut, DC, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington) are the near the bottom of the list.
Curious how you’d do? Take the test yourself at http://nationaldriverstest.com/
When you’re finished, GMAC will even let you play a video game that teaches you how to avoid elderly people and aliens in the roadway.
I got a 95%. This is the only question I missed:
8. You may pass on the right of another vehicle when:
A. When traveling on a multi-lane highway carrying two or more lanes of traffic in the same direction
B. The other vehicle is making or about to make a left turn, when a lane is provided to pass on the right
C. Both answers are correct
I answered B. I did not know that you can pass on the left on muli-lane highways.
I've done most of my driving in LA metro area, Chicago metro area, Seattle metro area, Phoenix metro area and now rural Iowa. The biggest difference from all my previous "metro" experience and now my rural Iowa experience is this:
1 – On average, people drive much much faster in metro areas. It's strange, there's a lot more traffic and people weaving in and out of it at dangerous speeds, both on highways, city avenues and residential areas.
2 – On average, people in rural Iowa do not care about pedestrians. What crosswalk?
3 – On average, people in rural Iowa are courteous to other drivers to a fault, disrupting the flow of traffic and confusing the rules of the road.
4 – On average, people in metro areas do not prepare nor know how to drive in bad conditions. This may speak more to Iowans being more prepared and accustomed to difficult weather ??