Hawaii ranks 44th in driver knowledge
Fewer than three-quarters of Hawaii’s licensed drivers would pass if they had to retake a written drivers test today, according to a new report.
The state ranked 44th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the 2010 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, with 27 percent of isle respondents failing the test.
It’s a slight improvement over last year, when Hawaii ranked 49th, according to GMAC.
The annual survey gauged the driver knowledge of 5,202 motorists by asking them to answer 20 questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles exams.
Kansas drivers scored the highest, with an average score of 82.3 percent, while New York drivers came in last with a 70 percent average score.
Hawaii drivers had a score of 74.8 percent, which was above the minimum passing grade of 70 percent, but below the national average score of 76.2 percent. The national average score last year was 76.6 percent.
GMAC Insurance said that a number of American licensed drivers don’t know the basic rules of the road. For example, 85 percent of the test takers could not identify the correct thing to do when approaching a steady yellow traffic light.
“It’s discouraging to see that overall average test scores are lower than last year,” said Wade Bontrager, senior vice president of GMAC Insurance. “American drivers need to make safety a top priority and be aware of the rules of the road at all times.”
The survey also questioned drivers on distracting habits behind the wheel and found that one in four nationally admitted to driving while talking on a cell phone, eating and adjusting the radio or iPod, but only 5 percent admitted to texting while driving.
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