DC Bad (Dumb) Drivers Near Top of List
Just off the heels of being rated in the top 5 rudest drivers in the U.S., GMAC Insurance’s National Drivers Test puts Washington DC drivers as the second worse in terms of knowing the rules of the road.
The study showed that over 16% of licensed drivers across the country (33 million drivers) would probably not pass a typical DMV written driver’s test.
Drivers from Kansas ranked tops in the country, (average score of 84.0%) with New Jersey’s drivers finishing last, (69.9%).
Washington, DC drivers, came in second to the last, with an embarrassingly low score of only 72.9%. DC drivers ranked in the bottom 5 for three years in a row. New Jersey and New York rounded out the bottom three this year.
Take the test here and see how you score, or view the national results.
Maryland drivers were ranked 10th from the bottom (down from #25 last year), while Virginia drivers scored slightly better at 12th from the bottom, a slight improvement from last year.
Other interesting test facts:
- Older drivers (over 35 years) on average scored higher.
- Women were more likely to fail the test than men (20% vs. 13%), yet both had similar average scores.
- The Northeast U.S.driver scored lowest on average, while Midwest drivers averaged the highest scores.
________________________________________________
3 Comments
I saw that and noticed D.C. was so low. What gives? At first I thought maybe a few bad drivers from D.C. were able to pull down the average in a relatively small sample. But if Maryland and Virginia performed so poorly, that makes me reconsider.
Either way, I’m keeping both hands on the wheel and my eyes on the prize next time I drive in our nation’s capital.
Matt: I think the poor results and bad drivers has to do with several factors.
1) We have so many drivers in the area who did not learn to drive in the U.S., so they bring their foreign driving habits to the area. What might be considered “normal” driving in Rome or Mexico City, might be completely illegal or inappropraite by DC’s or U.S. standards.
2) Every four or eight years, we get a huge influx of new government workers with each new administration, bringing their own driving style to DC. For the past 8 years, we’ve seen tons of Texas drivers, who seem to drive a bit faster than local drivers.
3) With all the military in DC, we get an additional dose of drivers from other states, all with different styles, punching their tickets at the Petagon.
4) Add in thousands of unfamiliar tourists and people here on gov’t. business in rental cars and local drivers get more frustrated and aggressive.
5) Each state (DC, MD and VA) seems to have their own style of driving. Put them all together, and it’s recipe for a disaster.
As to why the area scored so poorly, we were all probably late for the test due to traffic.
Good points.
And whereas cities with at least somewhat similar situations (NY or LA, for example) are buoyed by the rest of their respective state, DC gets its own score.
But hey, at least it beat Jersey!