The Nation's Worst Drivers

Maybe the blue staters should stay the hell off their cell phones
and leaning on their horns?

On 27 May 2005 19:58:52 -0700, wrote:

>When faced with a written test, similar to ones given to beginning
>drivers applying for licenses, one in ten drivers couldn't get a
>passing score, according to a study commissioned by GMAC Insurance.
>
>The GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test found that nearly 20 million
>Americans, or about 1 in 10 drivers, would fail a state driver's test
>if they had to take one today. GMAC Insurance is part of General
>Motors' finance subsidiary, GMAC.
>
>More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65 were
>administered a 20-question written test designed to measure basic
>knowledge about traffic laws and safety. They were also surveyed about
>their general driving habits.
>
>Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did worst. Twenty
>percent of test-takers failed there.
>
>The state of Rhode Island leads the nation in driver cluelessness,
>according to the survey. The average test score there was 77, just
>eight points above a failing grade.
>
>Those in neighboring Massachusetts were second worst and New Jersey,
>third worst.
>
>Northwestern states had the most knowledgeable drivers. In those
>states, just one to three percent failed the test. Oregon and
>Washington drivers knew the rules of the road best. In Oregon, the
>average test score was 89.
>
>According to the study, many drivers find basic practices, such as
>merging and interpreting road signs, difficult.
>
>For instance, one out of five drivers doesn't know that a pedestrian in
>a crosswalk has the right of way, and one out of three drivers speeds
>up to make a yellow light, even when pedestrians are present, the study
>said.
>
>Drivers not only lack basic road knowledge, but exhibit dangerous
>driving behavior as well.
>
>"As a nation of drivers, we've made little progress in the past 10
>years to curb some of the most dangerous driving behaviors, including
>drinking and driving and speeding," said Susan Ferguson, senior vice
>president of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
>
>One out of 10 drivers regularly exceeds the speed limit by 11 or more
>miles per hour, with drivers aged between 18 and 24 years showing the
>greatest propensity for speeding, the study said.
>
>Speeding increases both the likelihood of an accident and the severity
>of the crash, the company added, citing research from IIHS.
>
>Younger drivers are the most likely to fail a written driving test
>while those between the ages of 50 and 64 are the most likely to pass.
>
>These are the average scores on a 20-question driver's test
>administered to more than 5,000 licensed drivers in a survey
>commissioned by the GMAC Insurance.
>
>Nation -- 82.7
>
>1. Oregon -- 89.4
>
>2. Washington -- 88.4
>
>3. Iowa -- 87.7
>
>4. Idaho -- 87.5
>
>5. Wyoming -- 87.4
>
>6. Vermont -- 86.6
>
>7. Nebraska -- 86.5
>
>8. Wisconsin -- 86.3
>
>9. Montana -- 86.2
>
>10. West Virginia -- 86.2
>
>11. Minnesota -- 86.1
>
>12. North Dakota -- 85.6
>
>13. North Carolina -- 85.2
>
>14. Indiana -- 85.1
>
>15. Alabama -- 84.7
>
>15. Virginia -- 84.7
>
>15. Nevada -- 84.7
>
>16 Missouri -- 84.7
>
>19. Ohio -- 84.3
>
>19. South Dakota -- 84.3
>
>21. Colorado -- 84.2
>
>22. Kansas -- 84.0
>
>23. Michigan -- 83.8
>
>24. New Hampshire -- 83.7
>
>25. Tennessee -- 83.4
>
>26. Maine -- 83.2
>
>27. Arkansas -- 83.1
>
>27. South Carolina -- 83.1
>
>29. Georgia -- 82.9
>
>29. New Mexico -- 82.9
>
>31. Oklahoma -- 82.8
>
>32. Texas -- 82.7
>
>33. Utah -- 82.6
>
>33. Arizona -- 82.6
>
>35. Mississippi -- 82.5
>
>35. Delaware -- 82.5
>
>35. Kentucky -- 82.5
>
>38. Pennsylvania -- 82.1
>
>39. Louisiana -- 81.7
>
>40. Illinois -- 81.6
>
>41. Florida -- 81.1
>
>42. Connecticut -- 80.9
>
>43. California -- 80.4
>
>44. Maryland -- 79.8
>
>44. Washington, D.C, -- 79.8
>
>44. New York -- 79.8
>
>47. New Jersey -- 78.3
>
>48. Massachusetts -- 77.2
>
>49. Rhode Island -- 77.0
>
>Anyone agree with the rankings?
>
>Patrick
>'93 Cobra

ZombyWoof wrote:

> For example NJ, my home state, rank last. Virginia the state I
> currently live in ranked 14th. Based on my own personal experiences
> of driving in both places the Virginia drivers are the absolute worst
> especially in the area of tailgating.

I also used to live in VA and agree 100%!!! The vast majority of VA
drivers suck! From tailgating, to hordes of left-lane lane bandits, to
stopping at the end of on-ramps, to rubber-necking slow downs, to lack
of blinker use, to you name it. In fact, while traveling I could tell
how close I was getting to the VA border by how bad the drivers were
getting... I didn't even need a map.

Yep, VA has the worst drivers I've have ever encountered, bar none.

Patrick
'93 Cobra

wrote:
> ZombyWoof wrote:
>
>
>>For example NJ, my home state, rank last. Virginia the state I
>>currently live in ranked 14th. Based on my own personal experiences
>>of driving in both places the Virginia drivers are the absolute worst
>>especially in the area of tailgating.
>
>
> I also used to live in VA and agree 100%!!! The vast majority of VA
> drivers suck! From tailgating, to hordes of left-lane lane bandits, to
> stopping at the end of on-ramps, to rubber-necking slow downs, to lack
> of blinker use, to you name it. In fact, while traveling I could tell
> how close I was getting to the VA border by how bad the drivers were
> getting... I didn't even need a map.
>
> Yep, VA has the worst drivers I've have ever encountered, bar none.

Keep in mind that most of those drivers, especially in the Northern
Virginia area, are from other states or countries.

> most yankees arent to smart

> hurc ast

He can't find the shift key, doesn't use a parenthesis or a period and
used the wrong "to", yet he criticizes others for not being _too_
smart.

LMFAO!

hurc ast = an uneducated fat slob, with body odor, buck teeth, and a
bad haircut, who sits behind a computer picking his nose while trolling
newsgroups.

Patrick
'93 Cobra

Just go out on the road on any given day and you will see that half of
these people shouldn't be driving. Don't need a test to prove it.

"Michael Johnson, PE" > wrote in
:

> wrote:
>> ZombyWoof wrote:
>>
>>
>>>For example NJ, my home state, rank last. Virginia the state I
>>>currently live in ranked 14th. Based on my own personal
>>>experiences of driving in both places the Virginia drivers are the
>>>absolute worst especially in the area of tailgating.
>>
>>
>> I also used to live in VA and agree 100%!!! The vast majority of
>> VA drivers suck! From tailgating, to hordes of left-lane lane
>> bandits, to stopping at the end of on-ramps, to rubber-necking slow
>> downs, to lack of blinker use, to you name it. In fact, while
>> traveling I could tell how close I was getting to the VA border by
>> how bad the drivers were getting... I didn't even need a map.
>>
>> Yep, VA has the worst drivers I've have ever encountered, bar none.
>
> Keep in mind that most of those drivers, especially in the Northern
> Virginia area, are from other states or countries.

I think that everybody pretty much thinks the drivers in their own
state are the worst. What this _really_ says is that U.S. drivers in
general are horrible.

Joe wrote:
> "Michael Johnson, PE" > wrote in
> :
>
>
wrote:
>>
>>>ZombyWoof wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>For example NJ, my home state, rank last. Virginia the state I
>>>>currently live in ranked 14th. Based on my own personal
>>>>experiences of driving in both places the Virginia drivers are the
>>>>absolute worst especially in the area of tailgating.
>>>
>>>
>>>I also used to live in VA and agree 100%!!! The vast majority of
>>>VA drivers suck! From tailgating, to hordes of left-lane lane
>>>bandits, to stopping at the end of on-ramps, to rubber-necking slow
>>>downs, to lack of blinker use, to you name it. In fact, while
>>>traveling I could tell how close I was getting to the VA border by
>>>how bad the drivers were getting... I didn't even need a map.
>>>
>>>Yep, VA has the worst drivers I've have ever encountered, bar none.
>>
>>Keep in mind that most of those drivers, especially in the Northern
>>Virginia area, are from other states or countries.
>
>
> I think that everybody pretty much thinks the drivers in their own
> state are the worst. What this _really_ says is that U.S. drivers in
> general are horrible.

Exactly. I can count the number of people I know in Northern Virginia
that was born and raised here on two hands. I bet 75% of us are
transplants that brought the traffic mess with us. It's probably the
same in many other areas.

It's the case here. This used to rural. Then some magazine aid that
this was the place to live because of the fresh air, medical, and all
the rest of the pluses, including no gangs, no traffic problems, etc.
BOOM! People flocked here to get their families out of the mess in the
LA basin, and SF Bay Area. In a very short time we went from about
36,000 to about 100,000. And those people brought with the their ways.
They left the cities for the forests, lakes, rivers, clean air, etc.
And just as many marriages go, after the ceremony, they tried to
change it into what they left behind. They wanted big city shopping,
malls, traffic lights, the works. Now we have gang graffiti, traffic
tie ups, smog warnings, etc. And they didn't adapt their driving to
the rural way, they continue to drive as they did in the major metro
areas. Unfortunately, what works in the big city doesn't work in the
country. So the accident rate climbs. The running the stoplights and
pushing the yellows is rampant. Now we have intersection camera and
traffic lights. And the freeway under pass which was two lanes, was
widened to 3 by narrowing the lanes. I guess it's fairly common, but
it's sad that something very good has to be destroyed in the search
for something better.

On Sun, 29 May 2005 19:30:54 -0400, "Michael Johnson, PE"
> wrote:

>Joe wrote:

>Exactly. I can count the number of people I know in Northern Virginia
>that was born and raised here on two hands. I bet 75% of us are
>transplants that brought the traffic mess with us. It's probably the
>same in many other areas.

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ZombyWoof wrote:
> On Sun, 29 May 2005 19:30:54 -0400, "Michael Johnson, PE"
> > wrote something wonderfully witty:
> <snip>
>
>>>I think that everybody pretty much thinks the drivers in their own
>>>state are the worst. What this _really_ says is that U.S. drivers in
>>>general are horrible.
>>
>>Exactly. I can count the number of people I know in Northern Virginia
>>that was born and raised here on two hands. I bet 75% of us are
>>transplants that brought the traffic mess with us. It's probably the
>>same in many other areas.
>>
>
> Well I am in the Hampton Roads area and with the extremely large
> Military presence here that is definitely part of it. Still sucks.

I find it ironic how people who moved here will complain about traffic
as if it is not their fault. When I point out that traffic is bad
because of people just like them they either can't see the point or do
get it and stop complaining as much. It doesn't matter if you moved
here yesterday or 20 years ago, you're still part of the reason traffic
is horrible. It's amazing how many people think THEY have a right to
move anywhere THEY please but once they're there they have the right to
tell others to go elsewhere. Such is human nature, I guess.

"Michael Johnson, PE" > wrote in
:

> ZombyWoof wrote:
>> On Sun, 29 May 2005 19:30:54 -0400, "Michael Johnson, PE"
>> > wrote something wonderfully witty:
>> <snip>
>>
>>>>I think that everybody pretty much thinks the drivers in their own
>>>>state are the worst. What this _really_ says is that U.S. drivers
>>>>in general are horrible.
>>>
>>>Exactly. I can count the number of people I know in Northern
>>>Virginia that was born and raised here on two hands. I bet 75% of
>>>us are transplants that brought the traffic mess with us. It's
>>>probably the same in many other areas.
>>>
>>
>> Well I am in the Hampton Roads area and with the extremely large
>> Military presence here that is definitely part of it. Still sucks.
>
> I find it ironic how people who moved here will complain about
> traffic as if it is not their fault. When I point out that traffic
> is bad because of people just like them they either can't see the
> point or do get it and stop complaining as much. It doesn't matter
> if you moved here yesterday or 20 years ago, you're still part of
> the reason traffic is horrible. It's amazing how many people think
> THEY have a right to move anywhere THEY please but once they're
> there they have the right to tell others to go elsewhere. Such is
> human nature, I guess.

I'm in the transient capital of the U.S. (SoFla) and everything you
guys are saying is correct.