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2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test

Executive Summary

Results from the fifth annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test indicate that roughly 41 million licensed drivers lack basic driving knowledge. A pool of 5,183 survey participants representative of the US Census drawn from all 50 states and the District of Columbia completed 20 questions taken from actual written Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) tests. The margin of error for the total sample surveyed is 1.4 percent.

Key Findings

  • If taken today, 20.1 percent of drivers on the road - amounting to roughly 41 million licensed Americans - would not pass a written drivers test exam.
  • The national average score was 76.6 percent, which is only 6.6 percent above the 70 percent failure line.
  • Idaho and Wisconsin drivers tied this year, both ranking first in the nation (average score of 80.6 percent); New York drivers ranked last (average score of 70.5 percent).
  • With Age Comes Wisdom: The older the driver, the higher the test score. Males over 45 earned the highest average score.
  • Factoring in margin for error, average test scores between the genders were similar (21 percent female versus 19 percent male).

Regional Rankings

  • Rankings upset: This year Idaho and Wisconsin take top honors, ranking as the most knowledgeable in the nation replacing Kansas. New York replaced New Jersey’s 2008 ranking as least knowledgeable.
  • This year, Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas are the top four ranked states with the highest scores; Hawaii, California, New York and New Jersey ranked in the bottom four this year. Both New York and New Jersey have ranked in the bottom four for the last four years.
  • Scores for both Hawaii and California have continued a downward trend, dropping significantly in ranking in the last three years. California ranked 48th in 2009, 33rd in 2008, and 22nd in 2007. Hawaii ranked 49th in 2009, 45th in 2008, and 23rd in 2007.
  • The Northeast had the lowest average test scores (74.5 percent) and the South had the highest failure rate (41 percent).
  • The Midwest had the highest average test scores (79 percent) and the lowest failure rates (15 percent).
  • Wyoming, which had the second best score last year, dropped to eighth place this year with a significantly lower average test score of 79.7 percent, down from 83.5 percent in 2008.

Trouble Spots: Questions that Confused Drivers

  • Seventy-two percent of drivers could not properly identify a typical safe following distance from the car in front of them.
  • Only 15 percent of drivers knew the correct answer of what to do at a traffic light displaying a steady yellow signal (stop if it is safe to do so).
  • Fortunately, similar to last year, nearly all respondents (98 percent) know what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, what to do when hydroplaning and the meaning of a solid yellow line.

Survey Says: Economic Concerns Causing People to Drive Less

In addition to the 20-question DMV exam, GMAC Insurance posed subsequent questions exploring participants’ planned driving habits for the following year and their take on mileage-based auto insurance programs (pay-as-you-drive insurance). These findings reveal:

  • Approximately 30 percent of drivers surveyed reported they plan on driving less within the following 12 months, with the primary reason being "worry over the economy" (74 percent). Twenty-four percent indicated they plan on driving less to "reduce expenses due to financial problems."
  • Ninety-three percent of respondents had never heard of a "pay as you go insurance" pricing model for automobile insurance.
  • However, one-in-three drivers (35 percent) would enroll in a "pay as you go insurance" program, such as the GMAC Insurance Low-Mileage Discount (http://OnStar.GMACInsurance.com), if their insurance company offered one.