20% of Drivers Unable to Pass the Written Exam? | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

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Working with Seattle auto accident victims and the families of those lost in a Washington wrongful death cases I find the lack of driver education in the United States disheartening. Although we have laws in place to make drivers safer from a young age, drivers only seem to remember common driving laws for as long as it takes to get their license and then it seems to quickly fade from their memory. A recent survey from GMAC shows just how quickly traffic laws disappear from the memory bank.

GMAC’s annual survey shows that 1/5th of drivers could not pass a written driving test. I know the initial reaction is laughter probably followed by an exclamation about how stupid people are, but when you realize that this equates to 38 million drivers it makes you rethink your security on the road.

Perhaps the most unsettling result is that 85% of survey participants were unable to answer correctly as to what to do when approaching a yellow traffic light. With these numbers it is not shocking that 25% of accidents are the result of individuals running red lights.

The survey also showed differences in geographic location along with gender. The Northeast had the worst driving knowledge with a failure rate of over 25% or 1/4th of drivers. The Midwest appeared to be better drivers with a failure rate of less than 12%. Washington State did fairly well in the survey ranking #11 out of the 50 states.

Women fared worse than men 24% of women failed compared with only 18% of their male counterparts. And women were more likely to engage in distracted driving behaviors such as talking on cell phones, changing the radio or eating while driving.

If you would like to see if you are better equipped for the road you can take the traffic test here and see how well you know the road.

To read the full driving test article click on the proceeding link.