Washington metro-area drivers ranked among the worst in a new national survey of motorist knowledge – D.C. drivers pulled in at second to last, just ahead of New Jersey.
Maryland motorists came in at 42nd among the states, and Virginia drivers ranked 40th in the National Drivers Test survey. The study was commissioned by General Motors Acceptance Corp. insurance.
The survey, released Thursday, also revealed that nationwide, roughly 33 million motorists would fail their driver’s tests if they had to retake them today.
Participants from all 50 states and D.C. completed 20 questions from actual written Department of Motor Vehicles tests for the annual survey.
GMAC said that overall the rankings are getting better, though Maryland placed 25th last year.
“It’s encouraging to see that scores are beginning to get better, but there is still a lot of room for improvement,” Wade Bontrager, GMAC vice president for marketing, told The Examiner. “The state comparison is good given the average score would be 70 percent,” he said. “But we’re seeing day to day that people don’t know the rules of the road.”
Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said that one in six drivers in the state wouldn’t be able to pass if they had to retake their driver’s test.
“We are aware of the GMAC survey, and it’s an issue we were already working on with the recent launch of the Choose Safety for Life campaign,” said Shipley. “There is a need to provide continuous education and enforcement for Maryland drivers, and we will announce later this year a driver education test that we will be encouraging people to take.”
Though GMAC’s survey reveals that about 98 percent of respondents know the meaning of a solid yellow line or what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, Shipley said many drivers need to review the basic fundamentals of driving – particularly drivers who have been driving for as long 15 to 50 years without refresher courses or workshops.
