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Idaho Transportation
Department

Office of Communications
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563

 


Idaho drivers know their road rules

You’re approaching an intersection when the traffic light overhead suddenly turns yellow. As a driver you should:

a. Hit the gas
b. Slam on the brakes
c. Continue talking on your cell phone
d. None of the above

If you’re confused about the answer, join the crowd – you’re in good company. An astounding 84 percent of respondents on a recent GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test missed the question.

The answer, not listed as a choice above, is to stop before entering the intersection if they can safely do so. Many drivers mistakenly believe stopping is only necessary if the light turns red before they enter the intersection.

Drivers also were perplexed when asked about the distance they should maintain between their car and the one in front of them. They should have said about two seconds.

GMAC, in a report summarized by CNN last week, indicated that 36 million drivers, or roughly the population of California, would have failed their driver’s test if they had to take it today.

Fifty-five percent of the respondents didn’t know how many feet before making a left or right turn to activate their turn signals (no mention was made about how many drivers know what turn signals are used for); and the national average score on the test was 77.1 percent. That will earn you a solid “C” on most school tests.

Eighteen percent of the respondents failed the GMAC National Driving Test in 2007, double the failure rate of the previous year.

The good news is, most of the failures were by people driving vehicles with non-Idaho license plates. Based on GMAC’s knowledge test, Idaho drivers were considered wisest in the nation. States trailing Idaho in the top ten were: 2. Alaska; 3. Minnesota; 4. Wisconsin; 5. Kansas; 6. Washington; 7. South Dakota; 8. Montana; 9. Oregon; and 10. Iowa.

Apparently the southern and eastern climates are not conducive to high scores on GMAC’s driver’s exam. The bottom of the list included Virginia, Louisiana, West Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and No. 51, New York.

Published 11-23-07