Ocean State participants score an average of 77, the lowest in 48 states. Massachusetts drivers weren't much better.

10:04 AM EDT on Friday, May 27, 2005

BY MARK ARSENAULT
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Reading this as you drive? You might want to hang up the cell phone and pull over for this one:

When it comes to knowing the rules of the road, Rhode Island drivers are last in the nation, according to a nationwide survey by GMAC Insurance.

We know what you're thinking: They needed a survey to figure this out?

Massachusetts drivers were next-to-last.

Around the country, the survey shows that 1 in 10 licensed drivers "may be unfit for roads," according to GMAC Insurance.

"If all Americans took their driver's test over again, 20 million would fail," said Robin Pifer, director of marketing for the St. Louis-based insurance company. "I was surprised. We were polling people who have been driving for years. It shows us that no matter how old you are, you can still brush up on the rules of the road."

The test was composed of actual questions from driver's license examinations around the country.

The Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region have the most knowledgeable motorists, according to the survey. Oregon drivers tested best, with an average score of 89 percent.

Most of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic scored near the bottom: 1 in 5 drivers from those regions failed to achieve a passing grade of 70 on the test. Rhode Islanders scored an average of 77. The test also suggests that the nation's least knowledgeable drivers, here in the Northeast, are also the ones most likely to speed.

"Results suggest that many Americans find standard driving practices vexing, including merging, failure to yield when making left turns, and road-sign interpretation," the company said in a statement. "In addition, they may not take important topics such as drinking and driving seriously enough."

Twenty-nine percent of drivers admitted they would drive legally drunk for a short distance, if they felt OK.

GMAC Insurance hired TNS, a worldwide research consultant based in England, to perform the study. "They were very scientific with their methods to make it statistically valid for each state," Pifer said.

The survey tested 4,900 drivers ages 16-65 -- 100 drivers from each of the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia. Alaska and Hawaii were not included. The sample was split evenly between men and women, and the data was weighted by state, age and gender, according to Pifer.

The company sponsored the survey to identify the "knowledge gaps" among drivers that will help guide safe-driving education programs.

Greg Horn, vice president of material damage for GMAC Insurance, said the company hopes that just releasing the results will inspire people to take the test online and refresh their grasp of the rules.

The test is online at www.gmacinsurance.com

They decided to publicize the results this week in advance of the holiday weekend, when volume on the roads will be heavy.

The survey also revealed:

• 1 in 4 Americans admit they would roll though a stop sign.

• 1 in 3, when running late, would speed up for a yellow light even if a pedestrian was waiting to cross.

• 1 in 2 do not merge correctly into heavy traffic.

• 1 in 10 admit they "usually" exceed the speed limit by more than 11 mph.

• 1 in 4 do not know how to pass a slow-moving vehicle.

GMAC Insurance tipped off Governor Carcieri's office to the results of the survey before the public release. Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said that "highway safety is one of the governor's priorities," and that Carcieri has already introduced several highway safety bills.

"The governor believes driver's ed and good driving are serious issues and he will work with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the state police and other agencies to identify ways to improve Rhode Island's driver education," he said.

Digital Extra: Find out more about the GMAC Insurance survey results, and take the driver's test yourself, at:

http://www.gmacinsurance.com/Press/NDTInternetPage.asp