Study finds 1 in 4 Pa. drivers don't know rules
Scores on yearly test 'not getting better'
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This might come as no surprise, but there's a 1 in 4 chance that the person ahead of you in traffic is clueless.

So suggests a study by GMAC Insurance, which administered a 20-question written test to more than 5,000 drivers nationwide, with questions pulled from actual tests administered by state motor vehicle agencies.

Pennsylvania did not shower itself in glory, finishing 39th among states with an average score of 75.8 percent, below the 76.2 percent national average. Possibly more dismaying is that 25.3 percent of Pennsylvania respondents flunked the exam.

With 8.7 million licensed drivers in the state, that means there could be as many as 2.2 million Keystone State motorists who don't know whether to yield or wind their watches.

It was the sixth year GMAC administered the test, and this year's results showed that as a nation, we're skidding. The national average score fell by 0.4 percentage points from the preceding year.

Wade Bontrager, a senior vice president for the company, said although the drop was small, it was discouraging. "We've been evangelizing this message for six years now. ... It's not getting better," he said.

The company decided to test drivers because of the volume of accident reports and claims in which lack of driving knowledge was a contributing factor, he said.

"In so many of these (accidents), it's little things that caused them. Someone followed too closely or failed to yield," Mr. Bontrager said.

Nationally, 18.4 percent of the 5,202 survey respondents failed to score the 70 percent needed to pass the exam. That translates to 38 million drivers nationwide who would flunk if they were required to take a written test, the insurer said.

Kansas drivers had the best average score, 82.3 percent. New Yorkers ranked last, at 70 percent.

The Northeast had the lowest average test score (74.9 percent) and the highest failure rate (25.1 percent). The Midwest had the highest average test score (77.5 percent) and the lowest failure rate (11.9 percent).

Men outscored women 78.1 percent to 74.4, and had a lower failure rate, 18.1 percent to 24 percent for females.

"It's very concerning," Mr. Bontrager said of Pennsylvania's failure rate. "Even the good states have a lot of people failing this test. They all should be doing better."

"It is alarming," agreed Bevi Powell, spokeswoman for AAA East Central, based in Pittsburgh. But she added that "more crashes happen due to inattention than a lack of knowledge."

Most Pennsylvania drivers aren't required to be tested for knowledge once they've passed the written exam to receive their learner's permits. On that test, they must correctly answer at least 15 of the 18 questions to pass.

The state has administered about 430,000 knowledge tests for car and motorcycle applicants since last July, with a pass-fail ratio of about 50-50, said Danielle Klinger, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Drivers who accumulate six points for moving violations are given a special exam and must pass it within 30 days to avoid a license suspension.

Others might be required to be retested if they are diagnosed with an impairment that affects their driving ability, Ms. Klinger said. Medical professionals are required to report such diagnoses to the state.

Ms. Powell noted that AAA and other agencies offer an 8-hour refresher course on driving rules, and those 55 and older who take the course are eligible for 5 percent reductions in their car insurance premiums.

AAA does not support mandatory retesting of older motorists, and Ms. Powell said she was unaware of any state that requires it.

Mr. Bontrager said GMAC wasn't advocating that states require periodic retesting. He said he considered it a matter of personal responsibility for drivers to brush up on their knowledge, and to realize that the value of such knowledge was improved safety, not just a step toward getting a license.

After the test results are announced each year, millions go to www.nationaldriverstest.com to take the test, he said. "If some of those people get better as a result, and avoid getting into an accident, we will have succeeded."

PennDOT's drivers manual also is available online and has 183 sample test questions at www.dmv.state.pa.us/drivers_manual/pa_driversman.shtml.